


Darkness and Light

by Novelist



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura's powers, Angst, Dark Magic, F/M, Keith resists leading, Lotor is an evil genius, NSFW, Sex, Shiro is missing, Slow Burn, Strong Language, Thace is still alive, kallura, lance is a smartass, shiro is suffering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-01-23 09:05:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12503864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novelist/pseuds/Novelist
Summary: With Shiro missing, Allura discovers her powers are greater than she ever could have imaged. The team dynamics are changing and Keith struggles to keep his emotions in check. Lotor is a huge threat and Allura will need to make a big decision, but will it save the team or put them in more danger.Takes place after season 2. A little season 3 and 4 mixed in. Thace is still around because...he's awesome. Keith is VLD and VF mixed together. Enjoy.





	1. Missing

Darkness. Falling uncontrollably into the abyss. Grasping for anything to cling onto because you need it desperately to survive.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

They stood there frozen, shocked looks on all their faces. Keith spoke first, “He’s gone. How?” He looked at the two Alteans for answers.

Coran answered because Allura was unresponsive. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this. A Paladin disappearing from its lion…it’s unprecedented. The only thing that makes sense, is that is has something to do with Haggar’s dark magic,” Coran scratched his head thoroughly confused. “I- I don’t have answers. I’m sorry.” 

Keith looked to Allura. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the back of Shiro’s chair, focusing her quintessence. She could feel the energy flowing through her like a conduit to the unknown. Instantly, beautiful illuminating particles swirled around her. She levitated just above the ground, her eyes staring blankly forward—completely transfixed. She was not in control. Not any longer. She held like that for what seemed like an eternity to the others. They dared not touch her or disrupt what was happening in any way. They had seen her powers heal the Balmera, but this was different. Electricity filled the black lion’s cockpit. Their hairs stood on end. No one moved or said a word.

With a stifled scream, Keith’s quick reflexes caught her descent as she dropped limp into his arms. The pink swirls of light now gone. Keith cradled her face, waiting for her to recover. She groggily responded, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Keith’s eyes searching hers for answers. “Where did you go?”

She tried to get up, but fell back grabbing her throbbing head. “Whoa. Don’t move. I’ve got you,” Keith’s concern for her was stronger than ever. He hadn’t realized that the reason it hurt so badly when Allura rejected him for being Galra, was because he was developing feelings for her all along.

“I- I don’t know what happened, but I saw Shiro. He’s out there and he’s trapped. I couldn’t reach him,” she blew out a breath in frustration. “I tried, Keith. I swear. But something or someone stopped me.”

“How did you do that?!” Lance blurted out.

Pidge adjusted her glasses, “I’m interested in that answer as well.”

“Guys. Back off,” Keith glared at them.

“It is fine, Keith. I am fine.” She sat up with his assistance. “I can get up.” He held her eyes as he guided her to her feet. “See,” she said smugly.

He cocked an eyebrow as a warning. “Don’t push it,” he said irritated at the lack of concern for herself.

“Well…what now?” Lance quipped, irritated.

“Everyone stay calm. We know Shiro is alive. We just need to find him. I’m hoping with a little rest, Allura will remember more,” he gave her a sidelong glance of reassurance. “Coran, you and Pidge start running some diagnostics on the Castle. We need to assess the damage and get things back in running order. I’m not comfortable being sitting ducks out here. Hunk, please see what you can find out from Black. Maybe there is something here that will tell us what happened to Shiro. Lance, help me get Allura back to her room to rest.”

“Keith,” she started to protest, but quickly closed her mouth. Keith was not taking chances. Although she didn’t want to admit it, she was exhausted. It took everything in her, not to collapse to the ground.

Everyone set off with their orders never questioning Keith. He was instinctively placing himself into a leadership role. _Shiro was right, I needed to lead the team. Am I worthy? Probably not, but I can't let any of them down. Especially now._

The three of them walked silently back to Allura’s quarters. Keith could tell she was definitely not fine. He gave Lance a raised eyebrow and a head nod. Lance acknowledged. “Princess, I’m sorry for barking at you back there,” Lance said. “I’m freaking out. All this magic stuff freaks me out—more than being in space or meeting aliens or flying mechanical lions! And no Shiro!”

“It is quite alright. I am not sure what is happening to me. I understand it is worrisome.” She was terrified. She had always been in control—she was programed to be that way. Her amiable facade needed to be up at all times, especially with the Paladins. Being their rock wasn’t easy. A burden she often shared with Shiro. _God, Shiro._ She felt a physical pain in her chest as she bit back a tear. She stopped short while grasping her chest.

“Allura?” Keith’s voice thick with worry. “Are you alright? Do you need to rest for a moment?”

“No.” She moved forward willing her body to keep moving.

They reached her room. Keith hit the panel and the door slide open. Lance sensed their need for privacy. It wasn’t something he wanted to give Keith and Allura, but he allowed it; for now. He waited beyond the doorway as Keith escorted Allura to her bed. The dull ache in her head was growing. Her brows drew together trying to force it away.

His callous hand brushed her soft cheek delicately. “Please rest,” he pleaded with her. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you too. You're important to me.” It surprised even him how easily his feelings came pouring out of his month. Something had changed between them when she embraced him and bid him to return to them—to her. There was more to that conversation. There was much unsaid. She knew it. He knew it.

Their eyes met, searching for the unsaid. They were on the brink of something more, but they both backed away from that ledge.

“I will rest. I promise,” she swore. The truth was, she needed to rest. She was fighting back tears and pain. She couldn’t stop it from flowing out much longer. That she wanted to do in private. It was dangerous for her to be so vulnerable with Keith. With that, she did something uncharacteristic. She rested her forehead against his. It was like dangling one toe into the water. He sighed and accepted this form of affection. He needed it just as much as she did. “Just promise me, you will wake me if you find out anything about Shiro. ANYTHING.”

He pulled back, “Of course.” He would obey his princess.

The door slide shut behind him. Lance stood arms folded across his chest, “We need to talk.”

Keith’s shoulders instantly tensed up. “What’s on your mind, Lance?”

They continued their walk to the bridge, not wanting Allura to hear any of this. “Look Keith, I respect you. You're a good man. And if you lead this team, I will follow you, but you’re playing with fire.”

“What are you talking about?” Keith demanded.

“Dude, Shiro is in love with her,” Lance blurted out. “You can’t steal his girl.”

Keith stopped and glared at Lance. “Don’t be ridiculous. I think you are reading a bit much into all of this. Shiro isn’t in love with Allura and neither am I. She is hurting and I was comforting her. That’s what friends do.”

“Don’t think for one second I believe any of that crap,” Lance bantered.

Keith threw his hands up in frustration. “Forget it. Let’s focus on what needs to be done. We need to repair the ship. We have to find Shiro. We need Voltron,” he sighed. “And thanks, I’ve come to respect you too.”

“Aww, don’t get all mushy on me mullet.”

A harsh eye roll from Keith and they entered the bridge. “Coran, anything?”

The red-headed Altean was at the control panel with several diagnostic screens up. “It’s not as bad as I thought. The particle barrier needs work stat, which means we don't currently have any means of shielding the Castle. The crystal is fine. Some of the ships defenses are offline, but I’m working on it. The engine requires some minor repairs, but nothing serious. Pidge is decrypting data from Zarkon’s ship.”

The girl glanced up from her controls, nodded, and continued typing feverishly.

“Where are we?” Keith asked.

“Far away from Zarkon, although it does appear we are in Galra territory. So, the sooner we get the Castle fixed, the better.”

“Um, guys. I found something,” Pidge said.

She pushed the information out to the main viewing screen. “I’ve been able to decrypt the intel I downloaded from Zarkon’s ship, but it’s not good news.”

“Does that say Prince Lotor?” Coran’s voice cracked a bit. Keith noticed. “That’s impossible.”

“Why? Who’s this Lotor guy?” Lance interjected; suspicious.

Coran regained his composure. “It’s complicated,” he swallowed hard. “Allura was betrothed to him before Zarkon turned on Alfor. He’s Zarkon’s son.”

The air was thick. Each Paladin looking at the other with concern. Keith broke the silence, “So, this Lotor guy—you don’t think he still wants to marry Allura, do you?”

“He was an awful child and an even more awful adult,” Coran continued speaking, “I can’t imagine what 10,000 years has done for him especially with a blood-thirsty father like Zarkon. I would be lying if I said this doesn’t concern me. We’ve finally made progress in freeing the universe and now, well, Lotor will take over. I’m sure of it.”

He didn’t directly answer Keith’s question which meant, Lotor was a very serious threat. Looking for Shiro was his number one priority, but now, protecting Allura from this psycho would make things more complicated.

“What else, Pidge?”

She zoomed in on a Galra fleet nearing the area. “That.”

“Quiznak,” Coran spattered. “We need to double our efforts and get this ship up and running properly if we are going to have a fighting chance against that fleet.”

“Keep going guys, we have to get out of here,” Keith was pushing the team hard.

Pidge rubbed her eyes. “Keith, I’m exhausted.”

Keith’s voice was sympathetic, “I know. We all are, but we must get out of here. I don’t like being stranded in Galra territory with a fleet closing in. Allura isn’t strong enough for us to make a wormhole jump again.”

Pidge cranked her neck back and forth and cracked her knuckles. “Okay. I’m on it.”

Keith nodded, “Thanks.”

Lance jumped onto his station. He was working on bringing the defenses back up.

“Hunk, we need you on the bridge.” Keith talked into his comm.

“On my way,” he replied.

Arms crossed, Keith was deep in thought. Just when he thought they could breathe. Lotor sounded like a very real threat he was not going to take lightly. They needed more intel on Lotor and fast. Focusing efforts on finding Shiro would have to wait. He was not comfortable with this decision. He wasn’t really fit to lead. That was Shiro’s job. But, the immediate danger had to be dealt with and Shiro was okay. That was something they could hang onto. Then there was Allura’s strange new powers. Even Coran seemed a bit taken aback by them. Frankly, he was taken aback by them too. _What did this mean? She was so drained and something else—it was fear. She was afraid. Of what?_ That he did not know, but he was going to find out. Even when all hope seemed lost, she did not waiver. Not once. This—this was big. She was hiding a big secret. _Did something happen to her on Zarkon’s ship? She is the only true leader we have now. She has to be alright._ He couldn’t stand it if she wasn’t. He lied to Lance. He was falling in love with her. And love will drive you to do crazy things.

 


	2. Unwanted Guest

Running at a quick, panicked pace down a long, dark corridor leading further and further away from them. Driving forward to where there was…voices. Barely audible, but they were there. _Who is talking?_ It was in hushed tones. Discretion was apparent. _Why?_ She wanted to know. Back stiff against the wall—the cool metal only made her realize how much she had been sweating. Ragged breaths she tried to control because she needed to hear this.

“SHIRO!” she cried out as jerked straight up in bed.

Covered in sweat, she was still breathing raggedly. It took her a moment to orient herself to her dim bedroom, the soft blue illumination of light, and the hum on the ship. She was safe. Shiro was not. She frantically wiped away white curls that stuck to her face in frustration. She was getting closer to answers or at least it appeared that way. Perhaps that was part of the rouse? She couldn’t be sure. Dark forces were at work. That she was certain of.

Tears threatened her eyes. She had to find him. This was all her fault. He needed more time to bond with Black. She should have been upfront about Zarkon once being the Black Lion’s Paladin. Shiro could have been more prepared. She should have helped him cultivate his bond. She had failed him.

Allura had become quite close to Shiro. She depended on him to help her carry the weight of the universe. At first, sleepless nights brought them together on the bridge. They talked for hours about their childhoods because it made them both feel better. Conversations would turn to Zarkon and how he would pay. Those chats were therapeutic in their own ways. What was only occasional interludes, became frequent. It only grew more intense from there. There were many nights she found herself in his room because he awoke from violent night terrors. They were working through those together. She was there to comfort him. And he was there to comfort her. They even fell asleep in each other’s arms from time to time.

One night, in particular, came to mind.

_“Shiro, it is me! Stop! You are safe!” She screamed as she rushed to his bedside._

_He was thrashing at his sheets and calling out for her. Even then her powers had begun to change. She calmly placed her hands on his temples, allowing her quintessence to settle him. At first, it appeared as though he was looking through her. A moment later, he was back. He grabbed her hands into his, kissing both several times._

_“Shiro- are you…”_

_Maybe he was caught up in the moment or maybe he had always wanted this—he kissed her without warning. Caught completely off guard, she was still. But it only took a moment for her to lean into his kiss. Maybe she had wanted it too._

_It became more passionate, his hands drawing her into a tight embrace, pressing her body against his. She tugged at the corners of his shirt, pulling it hastily over his head. She began gliding her hands over his bare chest, following his scars from another life. One fluid motion and he had her on her back with him on top of her, wanting her to take away his pain. Primal lust overshadowed logic. They were getting dangerously close to the point of no return. This would change things between them. It was all happening way too fast. He was pushing up her night clothes allowing his hand to grope her thigh. It was rough and needy now between them. She clawed his back. He hooked a finger over her panties. His excitement pressed into her, driving away any rational thought she had left from her brain. With his tongue in her mouth, he began to pull off said panties. Certainly, one of them needed to stop this. They were usually so in control, but they were spiraling together. All she could think about was how much she needed this as much as he did—to feel whole again. This war had taken so much from them. Would they have to give this up too?_

_The castle alarms blared startling them. “Quiznak!” Shiro spoke through gritted teeth._

This memory only made tears trail down her face. She had to save him. No matter the cost. She had to think about what was best for Voltron. They needed him…she needed him. Adjustments would need to be made. It was obvious to her, that Keith should fly Black now. He had already bonded with her. That left Red without a Paladin. She knew she could do it. Her life force was already tied to the lions. Bonding with Red would be like bonding with Keith. Understanding her temperament would take some time. Allura felt confident she could do it. Wishful thinking that it wouldn’t come to that, but the bile curled up in her throat anyway. She shivered. Getting Shiro back would not be easy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where are we at with the particle barrier?” Keith barked, "That Galra battle cruiser has certainly realized we are here."

Pidge barked back, “Almost there,”

“I need it now!”

“Okay, okay. One more sec…” she groaned, “Done. Particle barrier is up.”

Keith turned his attention to Lance, “Ship’s defenses?”

“All restored,” Lance beamed.

“Um, guys,” Hunk stuttered, “We got company.”

Galra fighter ships began reigning down on the Castle. The alarm sounded off.

“Hunk, Pidge, you are with me.” Keith ordered.

“Lance, defend the Castle and keep the princess SAFE,” he emphasized the word safe.

“Coran, you have the bridge.”

The three of them dashed off to their lion’s hangers.

Allura appeared on Lance’s screen. “What is going on?”

“Sorry to wake you Princess, but we have some unwanted guests,” Lance focused in on blasting a few incoming fighters. “Do you think you are ready for a wormhole jump?”

Coran was panicking, “The particle barrier is experiencing sporadic outages.”

Lance yelled, “Well, get it back up!”

“Where’s Keith?” She questioned.

“He’s with Pidge and Hunk. They are out there giving us cover, trying to bring this cruiser down,” Lance replied, still focusing elsewhere.

Her worst fear was already coming to light. They might need Voltron to defeat the cruiser. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to wormhole jump, but she would try. What other options did they have. “I’m on my way.”

Battle suit on, determined to push through any pain or exhaustion that remained, Allura headed to the bridge.

Just as she turned the corner from her quarters, a ship pierced through the sidewall of the Castle. Crashing hard against the opposite side of the corridor, she fell to her knees. A tall Galra figure emerged from the craft, standing smugly over her. He removed his helmet.

“It can’t be you,” she spoke mouth agape, not sure if she had hit her head too hard and this was all a delusion.

“Princess Allura,” his tone was beguiling, “It’s time to pay up. I’ve been waiting for a very long time. You owe me your hand, your pretty little head and everything else.” His gaze trailed up and down her body.

Sliding back, she tried to put some distance between them while she crawled slowly up the wall to a standing position. Her eyes narrowed. Allura was in fight mode.

Quicker than he expected, Allura brought her staff under his knee, knocking him to the ground. He was back on his feet immediately. She could see from the fire in his eyes that he not only relished a challenge—he fed off it. It gave him some sick pleasure which made her nauseated in return. They circled each other sizing one another up. This little dance was getting old. She attacked, driving her staff up towards his head. He blocked it with lightning fast reflexes.

He laughed, “I do love a challenge.”

She tried another blow, striking him in the gut. Angry—he was getting angry now.

The most sinister of smiles danced across his face. “Enough,” he spewed, rushing towards Allura, forcing her back into the wall hard. He was using her staff against her. With his strength, he had the length of staff pinning her neck and wrists. “You are mine.” With his dark, brooding eyes, he was practically undressing her.

“Hey asshole,” Lance baited him, gun drawn.

Lotor looked in Lance’s direction. “I think I have the upper hand, Paladin.” He applied more pressure to restraining Allura. She was clearly in pain. A sight Lance didn’t like seeing.

Struggling against him, she tried to break free. It was getting increasingly difficult to breathe. Black dots started to orbit her vision. _I’ve got to stay awake._

“Let the Princess go. Now!” Lance was done with snappy remarks.

Lotor turned his penetrating gaze at Allura once again as he leaned in to kiss her against her will. It was forceful and filled with unwelcomed desire. _No, make this stop._ The orbs of black grew larger. Allura made one last feeble attempt to push him away without luck. _I can’t black out._

That was more than Lance could take. He took a shot grazing Lotor's leg. Allura was released, falling to the ground—massaging her strained throat while coughing and grasping for air.

“You shot me!" Lotor looked down at the trail of red. "This won't stop me from taking what is mine, Paladin.” His sword blazed with an eerie purple light. Surely, it was enchanted.

Lance got another shot off, knocking the sword from his hand. “She isn’t yours, you Galra piece of shit.”

“You will pay for your defiance.” Lotor grabbed Allura by the arm, slamming her into his body, using her as a shield. “I think I will be leaving with _my_ Princess now.”

Allura was still on the verge of losing sight of reality. Lance only became more attuned to the situation, calculating all his options to retrieve Allura safely.

Lotor slowly picked up his sword with a firm, steel grip still on Allura’s arm. He ignited the sword as he inched closer to his pod.

 _Don’t panic._ Lance said to himself. “Allura, are you alright?” He could see the Princess swaying.

She shook off the vertigo, “Lance, back away. I will go with him. Please, I do not want you hurt. You must think of Voltron.”

Lotor snickered, “How touching. You can’t honestly care for this boy.” He was disgusted.

Allura reached deep for her strength. Elbowing Lotor hard in the stomach, she grabbed for his sword. Defensively, he brought the sword into an upper cut, slicing the top of her arm, sending her back into the wall. Stunned, Lotor reached for her, surprised that he had harmed her. Lance took this opportunity and blasted Lotor’s hand. “Surrender!”

“Never!” Lotor cradled his injured hand as he jumped into his pod, pulling back out of the Castle. The shield came up quickly to seal the breach.

Lance rushed to Allura’s side. “Shit! Princess!” He pulled her chin in his direction. She was losing a lot of blood.

Allura’s eyes blazed open. She placed her hand over her arm, applying pressure. “We have got to get to Coran.” She stumbled trying to get up. Lance had to help her to her feet. She stared at him like he didn’t know what he was doing. “NOW!”

“Um, yeah, right.” Lance mumbled.

Allura started a brisk jog towards Coran. Lance followed, still in shock.

When they reached the bridge, Allura braced herself at her counsel. “Coran,” she yelled. "Get ready to get out of here!"

He turned towards her, “Princess, you’re bleeding!”

“I am aware, Coran.” she said as she took in a broken breath. “Paladins,” she called them up on the monitor.

Each appeared on the view screen. “Return to the ship immediately! We are getting are leaving!”

Keith was wide-eyed. He knew the Princess was injured, but he could not assess the extent from his current point of view. “On our way.”

With the lions returning to their hangers, Allura pushed herself like never before. Sensations of floating away from one’s body, pink pulses of light carried her into space. Beautiful stars and planets swirled like a sandstorm pulling her through to the other side. It was like coming home. Everything went black.

They had made it through the wormhole. They were out of danger.


	3. Time Heals All Wounds

“What the hell, Lance?” Keith’s voice struggled to stay even. He was dangerously close to losing control. He was furious that Allura was in the healing pod. Furious that Lotor breached the Castle. Furious that he wasn’t here to stop any of it. Keith knew he was letting his fears get the best of him. He knew that Shiro would tell him not to let emotions guide his actions. But Shiro wasn’t here.

“Keith,” Lance pleaded, “I did my best to stop him. He was going to leave the ship with her and she was going to go with him!” Lance’s voice raised an octave, “She was going to sacrifice herself for us. I couldn’t let that happen! Not again. I regret Allura getting injured.” Lance sighed, “You know I would do anything for her, right?”

Keith drew his fingers over his brow. A headache was forming behind his eyes. He hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. “Of course, Lance. I know you did your best. You stopped him from taking Allura. It’s just…”

Lance didn’t need him to finish that sentence. He already knew what was happening. Keith was being emotional. This was rare. Keith was usually only grumpy, angry, or irrational, not emotional. It only fed on his theory that Keith was in love with Allura. But he let it slide. Keith was in pain. “I get it,” Lance replied.

Keith hung his head. “Tell me everything.”

“This Lotor guy is twisted. There is jealousy and rage in that Galra shithead,” Lance cursed, anger growing in his voice. “He forced a kiss on her, Keith. I fucking lost it.”

“What?” Keith’s rage was equally apparent.

“I wanted to kill him, but he had her. I couldn’t risk her life. I had wait for the right moment. Allura got a cheap shot in and that’s how she got sliced. There was something in his eyes when that happened. I think he felt remorse. He’s got some sick possessiveness thing going on. I don’t like it.”

Keith was silent. He didn’t like it either. Shiro was becoming a lower priority. Keith didn’t like prioritizing his friend’s safety, but it couldn’t be helped.

Keith gazed at her floating peacefully. The white healing suit clung to her body. He pressed a hand against the glass noticing bruising around her neck and wrists. “Lance,” he said keeping his tone even.

“Yeah,”

“The bruising?”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t want to get into that. Keith was already fired up. He didn’t need to hear that Lotor was practically choking the life out of her. “From Lotor.”

“How?”

“Keith, stop tormenting yourself. She fought him with everything she had.”

Keith’s free hand bawled into a tight fist, squelching down the fury that threatened to explode.

Lance placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Why don’t you get some rest? Clear your head. You look like hell. And frankly, I’m afraid you’re going to punch me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Keith said sarcastically, “But I can’t…” He couldn’t leave Allura.

“I promise I will get you if there is _any_ change.”

Keith reluctantly agreed. He was fatigued. He doubted very much that he would be able to sleep, but he had to try.

He dropped onto his bed. The familiar feeling of his world getting flipped upside down was creeping up on him. He was so angry. Angry at Shiro for disappearing. Angry that he was being forced to lead. The sinking continued.

_Fuck._

Keith’s eyes focused onto the ceiling of his quarters. Like that would help solve any of their problems. They couldn’t form Voltron. Lotor was after Allura. His feelings for the Princess were clouding his judgment. All of this was bad for the team. He didn’t want to lead. He didn’t like the idea of replacing Shiro, but Shiro was alive. He had to focus. Patience yields focus is what Shiro would tell him. He repeated it a few times before he finally drifted off.

The sleep was restless and he woke several hours later, feeling like utter garbage.

Keith was dead on his feet as he made it to her healing pod. Lance had fallen asleep in a chair nearby. He shook his friend’s shoulder. “Wake up, Lance.”

Lance shot up, looking back and forth quickly, “Are we under attack?”

“No, Lance. I’ll take this shift. Get some rest.”

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Lance let out a whoosh of air, “Fine. I’ll go, but you need to get me if there is any change.”

Keith nodded in agreement and turned his attention to Allura. Resting his head against the pod. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered.

She looked almost carefree floating there, like the weight of all of this was temporarily lifted from her shoulders. _This is the only place I can keep you safe. How sad is that?_ Putting her back in a pod wasn’t easy. It was the absolute last place Allura wanted to be. He guessed spending 10,000 years in one was long enough. Coran was the one who convinced her she needed it. Her energy was fading fast. Between the blood loss and the wormhole jump, collapsing was imminent.

Finding out more about Lotor was their top priority. Keith knew that. Barking up that tree would mean putting Allura in more danger.

“Aargh!” Keith screamed as punched his fist into the palm of his hand, “Damn it!”

Keith knew that they would need the Blade’s help. And working with the Blade in itself was dangerous.

He sat in the chair, pulled his fingers through his hair in frustration as he stared at her.

 _God, she’s beautiful. I’ve got to get myself under control. One person should not dictate my decisions for the many. I know that’s what Shiro would say. Although, when he lost Allura…emotions got the better of him. Crap! Was Lance right? Was Shiro in love with Allura?_ Keith quickly pushed those thoughts away. He had to.

With a hiss, the pod opened. Allura shakily stepped out. Keith was there to put an arm around her waist.

Those beautiful blue eyes and long lashes gazed up at Keith.

“Are you alright, Allura?”

“I think so. I am just very, very tired,” she was unable to hold back a yawn.

Even though her arm had healed, the exertion of the wormhole jump drained her.

Just being close to her—smelling her, was intoxicating to Keith. _Focus._

“Let me help you to your quarters,” he replied.

Releasing her, she straightened her posture as she walked slowly towards the door. The confident princess facade was back in place. Keith wasn’t sure why her defenses were suddenly up.

When they reached Allura’s quarters, it was clear that she was dismissing Keith, “Thank you. I need my rest. Once I am back to normal, we will strategize our next move,” her voice had a fierce determination that frankly, frightened him a bit. Crossing Allura could be downright scary. That tone. He had heard it before. She would sacrifice anything for them and Voltron. Keith didn’t like it.

He gave a small bow, “As you wish, Princess.”

Keith wanted desperately to hit something. There was only one logical place for him to go—take down several training bots.


	4. Alliances

Keith slept like death warmed over. After destroying about a dozen level five bots, he could finally get some real sleep. He wouldn’t say he was refreshed, but his focus was where it should be—on the team.

Coran was on the bridge when Keith entered. He looked like crap. “Coran, have you slept at all?”

Heavy dark circles dulled his normally bright eyes. “I’ve slept for over 10,000 years. I just can’t.”

Keith knew why. Coran couldn’t lose Allura either. “We all need to step away,” Keith’s concerned voice was not lost on the Altean. “She’s still here. We aren’t going to let anyone take our princess.”

Coran gave him a wry smile. “I know, Keith, but I was beginning to believe that we had won. And now…”

“When you have the most powerful weapon in the universe, I don’t think you will ever stop fighting. There will always be someone that wants that power. It’s our jobs to keep it safe,” Keith’s voice was laced in sadness. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to go home. At least not for a prolonged period of time.” His sadness wasn’t for himself, it was for Hunk, Lance and Pidge. He wasn’t sure they really understood that Voltron was their home now.

“You are a good man, Keith.” Coran patted Keith’s back.

Keith smirked, “And it looks like I’m leading this team now and I say take a break. That’s an order.”

Hesitation was like weights on his feet, preventing him from moving. Moments passed. Keith hesitantly took his place at Shiro’s station. The chair felt cold. Sitting in it came a rush of enormity that threatened Keith’s confidence. He knew he had to step up. He already was. The time for self-doubt was over. Living in the shadow of great man doesn’t help anyone. He had to step into the light. Be the man Shiro knew he could be.

He already set a course for the Blade when Allura entered the bridge. He glanced over his shoulder. “Why are up? You need more time to heal,” he said, frustrated.

With a stoic face and calm demeanor, she replied, “I am healed. Lotor is out there. Shiro is out there. There is no more time to waste.”

He got up to face her. _Would this be a battle of wills?_ “Princess, please. You know better than I do that we all need to be at our strongest to fight Lotor and save Shiro. I had to order Coran off the bridge. We need to lead by example.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “You do not tell me how to lead this team. I am perfectly well. I resent the fact that you would think otherwise, like I would endanger any of you.” A pain of guilt welled up into her stomach.

That crack in her voice made Keith wince. He didn’t want to start a fight. He closed the gap between them and took her hands in his. “I don’t doubt your ability to lead. I just want you to take care of yourself. It’s important to all of us,” he paused. “It’s important to me.”

Those pools of blue bore down at Keith, searching to see if there was more than just concern in his eyes. She thought she saw something fleeting.

His thumb created small, comforting circles on the top on her hand. “You scared me,” he confessed.

Allura wanted to breakdown and fall into his arms, but she couldn’t allow her doubts to surface. _Keep it together._ She broke away from him.

Sucking in a deep breath, “I am sorry I scared you. You know that I will do what needs to be done.”

“That’s what scares me the most,” Keith’s voice was strained. “You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for us. Lance told me you were going to leave with Lotor,” a fight was impossible to avoid. “Why the hell would you do that? Are you crazy? That would only have put us in a more difficult position!”

Allura did not appreciate being lectured, “As I said, I will do what is necessary. IF going with Lotor meant my ship and Paladins were safe, then that is exactly what I would have done.”

Keith ran his figures through his dark locks, “No. That is _not_ what is necessary! If you would have done that, we would be have screwed! No wormhole jump! We would have been helpless because of that terrible decision.” _Ouch. I’ve gone too far._

That stung Allura. She was already questioning her decisions. Now Keith was too. She turned away from him so he could not see the upset on her face.

Realizing he overstepped, “Princess…I’m sorry.”

Keith came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. It was overly affectionate and uncharacteristic. With a soft tone, he spoke into her ear, “I didn’t mean it. I’m angry and I’m taking it out on you. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

Allura allowed her head to lean against his. “Keith, I will always choose my paladins.” There it was. Hard truths.

The soft caress of his breath against her neck sent a spasm of pleasure down her spine. Pulling away from his embrace was her only chance to keep from giving in and jumping into the unknown.

Keith felt defeated, but this wouldn’t be the end of this conversation as far as he was concerned.

There was tension between them and it wasn’t just about the fight—it was something else. Every time he thought she would give into temptation, Allura pulled away.

_Would she ever put herself first?_

Keith cleared his throat, “I’ve set a course to the Blade’s headquarters.”

She nodded in agreement, “Yes. Hopefully they have more information on Lotor and Zarkon. Lotor will try to take over, but the there are many power-hungry Galra generals just waiting to seize the throne.”

The others arrived on the bridge. Allura called them over to the center counsel. “We are paying a visit to the Blade.”

Pidge spoke up, “Maybe they still have some people on the inside?”

“Yeah, some secret ninjas right under Lotor’s nose,” Lance said as he reenacted some pretty sick ninja moves.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “What’s the plan exactly?”

“We need more intel on Lotor. If the Blade doesn’t have it. I’m hoping they can help us get it,” Keith answered. “Kolivan will meet us there.”

“So…putting ourselves in more danger?” Hunk sighed, “Great.”

“If we can take down Zarkon, we can take down his son,” Lance wisecracked. Underneath that umbrella of humor, Lance wasn’t so confident. Lotor was serious business. None of his teammates had seen what he’d seen.

They had arrived at the familiar site of two black holes suspending an asteroid, surrounded by brilliant solar flares. All this magnificence resting beside a giant vibrant, blue star. It was quite breathtaking.

Kolivan’s profile came up on the main display. “Glad to see you’ve made it.”

“We ran into a few problems on the way, but we’re here now. We need to talk,” Keith’s voice was light and serious all at the same time.

“A window will open shortly. We will discuss this in person.” Kolivan’s image faded from the view screen.

Hunk questioned Keith, “Are you really going to go in there again?”

“Even after everything, the Blade doesn’t take unnecessary risks.”

“There is no way you are going alone,” Allura quickly added.

Keith replied pushing his authoritative position, “I think going alone would be best.”

An argument hung in the air, making the Paladins tense. No one liked the idea of risking their lives to talk when they consider the Blade an ally. But the Blade was secretive and cautious. They always weighed the risks and did not make decisions based on emotion or convenience.

Pidge spoke now, “Nobody likes this, but our window of opportunity to reach their base is closing fast. We need to trust Keith.”

Pidge spoke from the heart. She truly did feel that the team was her family. She thought Keith would make a good leader, as long as he kept in impulses in check. She noticed the change immediately. Keith didn’t waiver for one tick before inserting himself into the leader role.

“I’m going with you,” Allura stated.

“It’s too dangerous.” Keith replied.

She folder her arms tightly across her chest and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Okay, knock it off you two,” Lance said as he lodged himself between Keith and Allura.

“Since when are you the peace keeper?” Pidge interjected, “I clearly should go.”

“Because?” Hunk questioned.

Pidge adjusted her glasses. “Because I’m the best person to discuss tech strategy.”

“Pfft. You? Clearly, it should be me. I’m Keith’s right-hand man and sharp shooter; should the need arise,” Lance stated smugly.

Hunk laughed, “You guys haven’t argued for like two minutes and now you’re his right-hand man?”

Pidge couldn’t help but snort, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Lance pointed his finger at Pidge, “I’m not kidding. I saved Allura’s ass when Lotor boarded this ship. Remember?”

Allura lost it. “That is enough! All of you. I still command this ship. I am going with Keith. End of discussion.”

They all looked at her mouths wide open.

Keith wasn’t backing down. “Don’t you think you’ve put yourself in enough danger? I am the leader of Voltron now. I am the best at piloting the Red Lion. I decide who will be accompanying me. I’m afraid I’m pulling rank on you,” Keith’s voice was firm.

Lance quickly put his hands on each of their chests to keep them apart. Allura’s eyes burned with a fire Lance had never seen before.

Allura’s chilled voice made Lance grimace, “Leaders work together. Shiro would not fight me on this. He trusted me enough to know that I am capable of making the right decisions.”

Pidge and Hunk backed off. The Shiro card. Harsh.

Keith softened even though her words hurt. “Allura, you are too important. I cannot allow it. It wouldn’t just put you in danger, but the whole ship.”

Lance kept steadfast, looking back and forth.

Allura backed away while pinching the bridge of her nose in complete frustration. “Keith. Please. Understand that we both want what is best for the team. I do not want to argue with you anymore. If you do not trust me to accompany you, very well. I will remain here, but do not think for one moment that I will not come after you if I think you are in any kind of danger.”

Lance backed away. He no longer needed to play the role of peace keeper.

Keith instantly felt guilty. Allura knew exactly what to say, to push his buttons. He had played dirty, but he would do whatever he could to keep the Princess safe.

“Lance, you’re with me,” Keith stated.

Lance did a fist pump into the air. Pidge and Hunk groaned. Allura scowled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red headed towards the two black holes.

Lance was tense standing behind Keith. “What was that all about back there?”

Keith pretended not to know what Lance was talking about by shrugging his shoulders.

“Give it up Commander, your poker face sucks. Fighting with Allura. Pushing her buttons. I want her safe too. Believe me when I say I get it, but come on…harsh,” Lance was speaking very animatedly with his arms.

“Oh, and she was playing fair? Pulling the Shiro card?”

Lance couldn’t deny that, “Yeah, that was a low blow, but still?”

Keith was focused more on not getting sucked into the abyss on either side of Red. “Lance, buddy. Shut up. I’m concentrating.”

“Fine. I’ll drop it. I don’t want to die,” Lance said very dramatically.

Once they landed, Thace greeted them as they ascended to the base below. “Kolivan will join us shortly.”

Lance was in awe as they followed Thace. He leaned over to Keith in a quiet tone, “So why push Allura?”

Keith whispered back, “Are we still talking about this?”

“Yes…”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Because I don’t want her hurt. She’s been through enough, don’t you think?”

Lance couldn’t argue with that, but he sensed there was still more to the story.

Thace pushed his way through a heavy door that gave way to a large, sterile meeting room. Ceiling to floor windows filled the opposite end of the room drawing in the large expanse of one of the black holes swirling rhythmically. Keith was drawn to the controlled, swirling motion. He casually walked to the window, peering into the chasm. Nothingness. That’s all Keith could think about. He didn’t want to ever find out what that felt like. Especially now, the thought of leaving Allura made him sick. He had a duty to protect her. Duty first. Wanting more, would have to wait. If Allura even wanted that. He couldn’t be certain. Maybe she was in love with Shiro. Pushing these thoughts away once again, he turned to Lance when he heard his name.

 “Earth to Keith,” Lance waved his hand in front of Keith’s face.

“What?” Keith responded.

Kolivan entered the room. “Please take a seat.”

Keith, Lance, Kolivan, Thace, two other Blade members and Slav sat at an immense round table. Slav was the Blade’s temporary problem.

Lance leaned over to Keith, “I feel like Sir Lancelot.”

Keith couldn’t help but grin before giving Kolivan his full attention.

“Keith, how can we help?” Kolivan was all business.

At least this time around, the Blade was willing to help any way they could.

Keith spoke, “We’ve had a run-in with Lotor. What do you know about him?”

“Of course. He’s Zarkon’s son. He’s a manipulator,” Thace spat out.

“Do you have any intel on him? Where his base is? Is he in charge now?” Keith drilled them.

“We have someone on the inside, close to Lotor. Lotor is in charge although there is fighting within the ranks. He is not in total control. He’s organized. He’s pure evil. He’s already began striking down those who believe in Voltron. He is taking more. Fighting harder. He is more driven than his father. Zarkon was far too focused with the Black Lion. Lotor will dominate anything and everything. We’ve heard that Haggar is by his side, using her twisted, dark magic to aid in his domination. Where Zarkon wanted to control, Lotor wants blood. He has four female generals that he trusts explicitly. They are equally dangerous. And don’t think for one second he has honor. Lotor only looks out for Lotor.”

“He’s just a smug asshole,” Lance cursed.

“I’m afraid he is much more. You only have a 33% chance of beating him,” Slav calculated.

“Why is he here?” Lance questioned.

Thace replied, “He’s helping us with a special mission.”

Slav was about to respond again, but Thace motioned for him to keep quiet.

This was Keith’s worst nightmare. Lotor was a legitimate threat. He was killing innocent people. It was making Keith’s chest get tight. He hoped he wasn’t wearing this anxiety on his face.

“There’s more I’m afraid,” Kolivan cautioned. “He will have Allura. It’s an obsession. Blood will fall until she is his. This betrothal made a long time ago is binding in Lotor’s eyes.”

“We aren’t going to let that happen,” Keith angrily said as he slammed his fist onto the table. The hold to keep himself in check was disintegrating. He was so full of fury, he wanted to break something.

As Keith was breathing fast and heavily, Lance put a hand on his shoulder. “There is no way Lotor will have Allura!”

Thace cleared his throat, “Haggar. She wants Allura’s magic. She is working on a way to extract it from her. There is no limit to how much power she craves.”

The bile in his throat, subdued his rage. “Why? What power?” Keith questioned. He knew something was happening with Allura’s power, but Haggar desired it? This possibly couldn’t get any worse.

Kolivan was surprised. “You do not know?”

“Know what?” Lance asked looking to Keith.

“Allura has unlocked powers that threaten Haggar.”

“What? How? When?” Lance blurted out.

“Her magic is strong. Stronger than she may realize. She’s already stopped Haggar’s dark magic when we were aboard Zarkon’s ship. She alone can take the witch down.”

Keith was on the verge of losing it, “She never told us.”

Kolivan shrugged, “She may not know the extent of what she can wield.”

This was all starting to make sense to Keith. Allura was displaying magic that none of them had seen before. It stung that she felt she couldn’t or wouldn’t share the incident on Zarkon’s ship.

 Overwhelmed and beyond worried, Keith took a controlled, shaky breath before speaking, “How do we stop Lotor?”

“By any means necessary,” Kolivan stated simply.

Keith’s determined voice said, “Let’s get started.”

“Thace will join you, while we will be intercepting a Galra battle cruiser. I will transmit all the intel we currently have on Lotor.”

“Why?” Lance questioned, thinking the focus needed to be on hitting Lotor right in the jewels.

“Because it’s transporting something of value.”

“Um, can you be more specific?” Lance was clearly annoyed with all the secrecy.

“I’m afraid not,” Kolivan replied coldly.

The last thing Keith wanted was tension between them and the Blade. He could respect their need for secrecy, but he didn’t appreciate being kept in the dark.

Keith became serious, “Have you heard anything about Shiro’s whereabouts?”

Thace spoke up, “No. But we know Haggar has been coming and going from Lotor’s fortress. We’ve heard she has been conducting experiments. Unfortunately, that’s all we know. Our spy doesn’t have that kind of level of access.”

“Is there a possibility that Shiro could be held there?” Lance asked a little more desperately than he intended.

“Yes.” Thace replied.

Keith took Kolivan by the forearm, “Thank you my friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allura paced waiting for word from Keith and Lance. Coran had joined them on the bridge and was monitoring the window of opportunity for the Red Lion to leave the base.

“How much longer, Coran?”

“Just a few dobashes,” he replied.

Pidge chimed in, “Don’t worry Princess, I’m sure they are fine. It’s Keith and Lance, what could go wrong?”

“You did not just say that.” Hunk replied.

Pidge shrugged, “I’m trying to be helpful.”

“They have been gone too long,” Allura’s tone was an icy. “I think we sh-“

Just as the Princess was about to take action, the Red Lion emerged from beyond the swirling holes of mirth. “I see them!” Coran exclaimed.

Allura clenched her hands over her heart and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Thank the ancients.”

Just then, Keith popped up on the main screen. “Allura. We are coming back, with a guest.”

Moments later Keith, Lance, and Thace boarded the bridge. “Princess,” Thace bowed.

“Thace,” she greeted him in return.

Allura was past her hatred and ignorance as far as the Blade was concerned. She was, however, concerned with their methods. Teaming up to defeat Zarkon did not take that feeling away. She gets it. Sometimes the ends justify the means. No matter how ugly that may be. She feared more extremes would be necessary to take down Lotor. A visible chill spread throughout her body. Keith took notice, but said nothing.

Thace brought up the intel they had on Lotor. Pidge immediately started analyzing all the data. A hologram of a large structure materialized. It was heavily armed and guarded. It wasn’t an ornate castle, like Allura expected, but he was hidden well.

“So, this is where the snake hides,” Lance spoke with a strong distaste in his voice.

Thace nodded, “It’s not going to be easy to infiltrate. But as Kolivan said, we have a spy on the inside who will help us with some of the security measures. Beyond that, more cannot be done. It would compromise the mission.”

“What mission? Isn’t taking out Lotor the mission?” Hunk questioned, “I don’t get it. Am I missing something?”

“That’s something I want to know too!” Lanced yelled.

Thace kept his cool demeanor, “As Kolivan stated, that is not something we can share with you at this time. It’s critical that it remains undisclosed.”

Lance flopped down at his station with his arms crossed, “I’m sick of all these secrets!”

“Lance,” Keith cautioned.

With his chin forcibly jetting out into the air, Lance huffed.

Continuing on with his debrief, Thace treaded carefully as he brought up the subject of Haggar. “We know that Haggar has been making regular visits. Our spy on the inside has confirmed that she and her druids are conducting experiments. Our spy doesn’t know anything beyond that. This individual does not have the clearance level to dig further.”

Pidge pulled up some security footage of Haggar’s ship coming and departing, noting the days and times. “Dark magic,” Pidge added as she pointed to the feed, “You can see from this footage that she is bringing in a lot of quintessence.”

Large carts of this golden liquid accompanied Haggar on every visit. It seemed that it was critical to her experiments.

“Furthermore,” Pidge continued, “It looks like she is due to arrive a few days from now.”

“It’s risky,” Keith stated. “We don’t know enough yet. I don’t like going into this blind.”

“Since when has that stopped you!” Lance threw his hands in the air, feeling the need to put in his two cents.

Keith glared in his direction, “Since I’m not losing another member of this team.”

“Stop,” Allura interjected. “Fighting will get us nowhere. Pidge, continue to plot out Haggar’s schedule and pull any footage you can. We may have enough information to stop her.”

“There is a possibility that your friend is being held there,” Thace felt compelled to mention.

This possibility was exactly what the Paladins needed to hear. Not only could they shut down Haggar, but they may be able to rescue Shiro.

Pidge chimed in quickly, “We have to take this mission.”

Keith sighed in frustration, “It’s still extremely dangerous, Pidge. We aren’t doing this without enough intel.”

“But…” Pidge exclaimed.

“Keith, I admire your need to be cautious, but this is risk I think we need to take.” Allura had a softness to her voice. She was trying to appeal to his emotional side. She knew that he wanted to save Shiro more than anything. It was unlike Keith to be so careful. Allura couldn’t be sure if it was the pressure of being a good leader that was driving his decisions or the need to make Shiro proud. Shiro would weigh all the options, get all the facts before rushing in guns blazing.

Hunk spoke now, “I’m torn between not wanting to die and finding Shiro.”

Before speaking again, Keith chose his words carefully, “Listen up. This is the plan. Pidge will pull as much info as she can on Haggar, defenses, guard rotations, shipping schedules, everything. Once we have that, we will then and only then decide how to proceed. If there isn’t data to support what we need, we aren’t doing this. Period.”

With that Keith left the control room. He needed to hit the training deck immediately. The ability to not lose his cool during that entire discussion was mind boggling. Even he was surprised by his own restrain.

Pidge went to work, diving into all the files. She would not compromise this mission. Getting Shiro back was just as important as finding her family. She’d be lying if she wasn’t hoping there would be information on her dad and Matt. Pidge wouldn’t allow her mind to go to dark places. She feared that they could be part of Haggar’s experiments. She hastily shook off those dark thoughts.

 

 


	5. The Vision

Limbs sore beyond belief, sweat dripping down his forehead, pure exhaustion, Keith collapsed onto his bed. Destroying a bunch of bots didn’t curb the anxiety that threatened his ability to lead the group. So much was weighing him down. Try to stop Haggar and risk Allura. Try to rescue Shiro, put the team in danger. That was if Shiro was even at this compound, which again only puts Allura closer to Haggar. That alone made his stomach turn. The thought of what kind of experiments that witch would perform on Allura was igniting that fire within him again. If he didn’t manage to calm himself, he’d have to go back to the training deck. The need to make the right decisions was overwhelming. He never wanted this.

Keith forcibly took a deep breath. _Focus_. He heard someone at his door. “Enter.”

Allura stood in the doorway. He could see the physical weight of worry on her shoulders. “May I come in?”

Keith got up. “Of course.”

The door slid shut, Allura pressed her back against it. She was leery to venture in further. Being in Keith’s personal space, she was unsure how to proceed. Keith was a private person and she didn’t want to make him expose part of himself that he wasn’t ready to share.

Sensing her caution, he waved her into his quarters.

“Keith,” she paused, “We have to do this. I know you know that.”

Eyes that refused to reveal emotion, Keith didn’t speak.

She continued, “I am scared too. But we cannot let fear stop us from doing the right thing, taking necessary risks.”

He had a tendency to take risks. He had a gift at losing his cool. The more dangerous, the better. He felt that she was baiting him a bit. That only made resisting the urge to kiss those beautiful lips, more difficult. Keith turned away from her. He had to restrain his feelings.

It surprised him when she had placed a gentle, tentative hand on his shoulder. Indulging in that moment was a trap he could not afford to be caught in. Not when so much was at stake. He still refused to face her, “Allura, you know losing another member of this te- family, is not an option.”

“I understand. I am willing to put my life on the line for Shiro to prevent Lotor from taking more innocent lives. I cannot allow another race to be eliminated. It is too painful to think about. The idea of someone else having to face what I did, well...I would do anything to stop that. And what about Haggar? Experimenting on innocents. That cannot stand.”

Keith clenched his fists, pushing down the anger building once again. He pulled away from her grasp more harshly than he intended. His voice could not completely conceal his anger, “I’m trying to think like a leader, like Shiro would. All I’m saying is that we need to know all the facts. You may be willing to throw your life away, but I’m not. We have to be smart about this. Did it occur to you that this may be a trap? This could be exactly what Lotor wants. Haggar will harness your magic and Lotor will make you his slave,” Keith didn’t realize how heavily he was breathing, “And let’s talk about that. When were you going to share what happened on Zarkon’s ship?”

Allura didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected to get personally attacked. “I am sorry for not telling you, but when has there been time to talk? I certainly did not intend on keeping it a secret forever,” she was lying.

Keith faced her now, “I don’t think you were going to tell us what is happening to you. Admit it, there is something going on even now. You are changing.”

She avoided eye contact with Keith, “I just want to try to understand it myself first. I do not know what is happening to me, but you are correct,” she swallowed hard while rubbing her hand against her upper arm. “I am changing. I do not understand it. I do not think I can stop it.”

“You can’t keep this to yourself. You aren’t alone you know. I can help shoulder this burden you insist on keeping from me. We will find out what’s happening to you. I swear it.” Keith’s fierce determination made Allura believe in his conviction.

She gave him a weak smile, “It is hard for me to be so open. There is so much more we should be giving our attention to. Stopping Lotor and saving Shiro are far more important. Which brings this conversation full circle. We need to do this.”

He knew she was right. “Fine,” he conceded.

“Very well then. Shall we go see how Pidge is coming along?” She turned to leave when he grabbed her wrist.

She looked up at him in surprise. “Keith?”

He pulled he into a tight embrace, “I can’t lose you.”

Her own emotions were getting the best of her. She could feel herself standing on the edge again, too uncertain if she should dive in. Keith was warm and she couldn’t deny how their situation seemed more bearable when she was in his arms. But then there was Shiro…

And just like that she was whisked away to somewhere not here, but not there. It was bathed in darkness. Only a small sliver of light, a fraction of a line, was visible. _Was it a doorway?_ She couldn’t know for sure, so she treaded carefully towards the fragment. Voices again. Familiar voices. Pain, so much pain she collapsed to ground of the dark unknown, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Rocking back and forth to keep this intense, heart-breaking feeling from completely consuming her. _Make it stop!_ She screamed hysterically without even realizing she was doing so. Tears fell uncontrollably as she sobbed on the floor.

“Allura!” She heard her muffled name.  

“Allura!” It grew louder, like an echo vibrating directly into her ear.

“Stop yelling. I can hear you,” she whispered, allowing the ringing to stop. A calm breath and she came slowly back to reality and realized that Keith was hovering over her.

When she opened her eyes, the look she received in return was ashen; a face void of color.

“What happened? I’ve been try to disrupt whatever was happening for some time.” Concern intertwined with terror trailed over his words, “You…are you…god, that was fucked up.” He said finally.

Allura’s arms were tingling. She had just realized they were still gripped tightly around her legs. Releasing her arms, she allowed her tense muscles to loosen. “Shiro,” she choked out a sob grabbing a hand full of Keith’s shirt, “He is in pain, Keith. We have to save him.”

He drew her into his arms, cradling her as though she was fragile and broken. Keith didn’t want to allow his mind to wonder what could be happening to his friend. He knew it was terrible just by how Allura had just reacted. He had to be at Lotor’s fortress, being experimented on once again. That signature temper bubbled up to the surface once again. He had to keep it together for the everyone’s sake.

Allura clung tightly to Keith. She was still shaking. “We have to save him,” she repeated.

“We will. I promise. Please don’t scare me like this again." 

Her tears had stained his dark t-shirt. He didn’t’ care. Keith only cared that she was safe. When she drifted off this time, her eyes glazed to black, she was staring forward as though in a trance. The pink quintessence floated around her. Keith backed away and watched her go far, far away from him. When she screamed out, he had to try to stop it. He tried shaking her and then resorted to yelling her name and shaking her even harder. Keith never wanted to hear that horrible cry again. It shook him to his core.

Keith got up and gave his hand to her. She put her hand in his as he brought her to her feet. “I want you to rest,” his voice was overly authoritative. “You can stay here. I will check on Pidge’s progress.”

She nodded in agreement. Her knees were wobbly. She sat on the edge of his bed, swaying ever so slightly.

Once she was settled, he left her to recover. He couldn’t help but think how she was in his bed...if only it were under different circumstances.

When he entered the control room, he felt his mood go from bad to worse. Edgy and angry was a combination for disaster.

“Pidge, I need an update now,” he grumbled.

Lance looked up from his station, “What’s got you all grumpy?”

He ignored Lance. “Pidge?”

“I’m putting together a concrete schedule of the comings and goings. I’ve got a lot of it mapped out. I also have structural plans which should help us navigate to the places we need to go. Although, I’m not sure where Haggar’s lab is. And there is no indication that Shiro is being held there. And I’m not a hundred percent sure how many defenses this place actually has. With it being located so thick into the vegetation of this planet, it’s too hard to get an accurate read.”

Keith back offed, “Great work. Set a course. Once Allura is awake, we will put a plan in motion.”

“You said that going there was too risky. You said we needed enough information. I don’t think this enough information,” Hunk gulped, with uncertainty in his voice.

Lance chimed in, “Yeah, what changed your mind?”

Spill her secrets, or let her tell them. Tough decisions. It wasn’t his to tell. “Allura convinced me.”

“Oh?” Lance raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. She can make quite the compelling case,” he said half joking, half serious. “Everyone needs to be at their best. I think we all understand how dangerous this mission is. I realize we don’t know enough, but that has never stopped us. We’ve handled worse than this. We’ve had our backs against the wall before.”

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all nodded in agreement. They were all in.

“I’m going to check on Green. We are going to need her stealth mode.” That said, Pidge left the control room.

“I do my best on a full stomach. Anyone joining me?” Hunk questioned.

Lance was about to join him, when Keith requested he remain. “Lance, a moment.”

Hunk raised his eyebrows and left them alone.

Lance turned to Keith sensing more discontent than usual. “Okay what’s up? You are wound tighter than your usual Galra self.”

Keith wasn’t in the mood for Lance’s sense of humor. “Look, I need to tell you something in confidence. I don’t want the others to know.”

“What the fuck, Keith. We don’t keep secrets from each other!” Lance didn’t mean to snap at Keith. The pressure of this situation was eating at him too. “Secrets tend to lead to disastrous consequences for us. Hello, Zarkon and the Black Lion, you being Galra…do I need to go on?”

“It’s about Allura,” Keith sighed, “She had another episode thingy. It scared the hell out of me. It was even creepier than when she was in Black. She was screaming in pain. And when I finally snapped her out of it, she said Shiro was suffering and we had to save him. I think she was actually feeling his pain. They are torturing him, Lance.”

“Shit,” Lance’s voice was exasperated. “Is Allura okay?”

Keith ran his hands through his hair, “I honestly don’t know. She’s resting in my room. You should have seen her Lance…” his voice trailed off.

“We are going to rescue Shiro and figure out what’s happening to Allura all while kicking Lotor’s ass.”

 Keith couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah. You’re right.”

“Damn straight I’m right,” Lance said smugly.

“I’m going to check on her. Keep watch. Coran will be on duty shortly.”

Lance nodded. The odds always seemed to be against them, but they were getting good at beating them. Gambling on the narrowest of margins for a win, he hoped their luck hadn’t run out.

When Keith returned to his room, Allura was sleeping restlessly and mumbling. He pulled up a chair close to her bedside, watching her intently. The crinkle of her nose as she spoke softly and incoherently was adorable. He rubbed his face in frustration. _What am I thinking? Why is she so breathtaking? There is always too much. She…we, can never be free to feel the way we want to feel. If she even feels that way about me at all. What if she is in love with Shiro?_ No, he’d felt something from her. He knows he wasn’t imaging that. _Oh crap, I am so in love with this woman._

Her eyes fluttered open. She cast her gaze on Keith, “How long have I been out?”

Drawn into her orbit, he leaned in. “Not long.”

With a ghost of a smile on her lips, she sat up. Cascading hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall of white. Keith wanted nothing more, than to pull her into a kiss.

Allura spun her legs over the side of the bed. Her knees brushed against Keith’s. The throbbing in her head was worse than the first time this happened to her. She winced, “My head is killing me.”

Keith put a hand on her knee, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

 _Why are his eyes so inviting?_ Those pools of blue-gray gave way to Keith’s inner self. The self he didn’t share with others. The self he kept protected. His quintessence was exuding just how open he was to her right now. He was so different from Shiro. Shiro opened up to her so willingly. He was more aggressive when the moment was right. The night they almost made love...it seemed so long ago, just before everything had gone so wrong. Heartache. It was pulling at her chest again. Instead of wallowing in it, she squeezed Keith’s hand, desiring comfort.

The moment of connection when the stars align opening a gateway that had been closed off to him. She was giving him an invitation, he was sure of it. No, he could feel it. Wasting such an opening would be foolish. Keith leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. It was too late to stop now. Her flowery smell was so arousing. This only made him intensify the kiss by pulling her into him. She responded in kind, throwing her arms around him with a deepened kiss. Passion in motion, she parted his mouth letting her tongue dance with his. Being so close, so part of each other in this moment, Keith could still feel the weight of the universe she always carried with her. It was taking its toll. This only made him want her more. If one moment, or one night could take some of that weight from her, it was worth it.

Keith needed to be inside her, now. He needed to feel every part of her, study it, master it. Burning her naked body into his mind.

They broke the kiss, breathing heavily. “Keith,” she was wavering.

“Allura,” Keith’s voice sounded more desperate than he wanted it to. “I want you.”

That was all it took to push her over into the void. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head. Keith was physically beautiful. She was staring.

“Do you like what you see?” Keith said playfully.

She blushed ever so slightly and giggled, “Yes.”

“You know you have me at a disadvantage, Princess. I think it only fair that I get to see you topless,” Keith gave her a wicked smile.

His quintessence was lustful. It was hard to ignore such a strong wave of it. In fact, it was impossible. Allura stood, she was about to remove her nightdress when Lance’s voice came over Keith’s com.

“Dammit!” Keith exclaimed followed by a few other explicatives. “Your timing is shit, Lance!”

“Hey man, I just wanted you to know that our long-range sensors are picking up about a dozen Galra ships.”

“I’ll be right there,” Keith unwillingly agreed.

Keith grabbed Allura, kissing her one last time. Grappling his arms around her waist, running his fingers through her hair, Keith didn’t want to let her go. “To be continued,” Keith said as he released her.

Allura stood frozen as she watched Keith leave. _What have I done?_


	6. Best Laid Plans

Keith’s brows formed a deep V as he studied the holoscreen. He had to come up with a plan to avoid them. Making their way to Lotor’s headquarters quietly was of the utmost importance. Taking them out with the lions shouldn’t be much of a challenge, but they would have time to notify Lotor that they were close. The element of surprise was all they had. There was always taking the long way. Not ideal, but it would give them more time to formulate a solid plan.

“Looks like we are taking detour,” Keith said.

“Come on man, let’s take them out. Blue can do it with her paws behind her back,” Lance exclaimed.

Pidge commented, “That wouldn’t be prudent. The odds would be against us.”

“Statics are BOR-ing! Action gets shit done,” Lance said over-confidently.

“Um, guys, dying…low on my list.” Hunk reminded them.

Coran spoke now, “There may be another way.” He continued, “There is a large asteroid belt nearby, we can use them as cover until the ships have passed. That way we can avoid going off course and altering our timeline.”

“Okay. Let’s do it. Keep the particle barrier up and defenses on standby,” Keith commanded.

They stayed hidden in the asteroid belt for what felt like forever. None of them were very good at being patient. Pidge continued to build her put together a more solid list of schedules, guard shifts, and weaponry. Once they were in, she could pull more from their systems. That should provide the lab’s location and if there were any prisoners being held there.

“Ships passing in three, two, one.” Coran let out a whoosh of air, “They are going into hyper speed.”

Allura and Thace entered the bridge carrying on a hushed conversation. Keith’s eyes narrowed. They were up to something.

Pidge brought up a blueprint of the compound.

“Cadets, gather round, here’s the plan,” Keith was full-on Shiro mode. “Green is going in stealth. Coran will run some simulated solar interference. It’s all hands on deck for this mission. Each one of you will have a part. The Blade’s inside source, will make sure the guards at the service entrance is light. Pidge and Allura will enter the control room here, connecting to the main network, pulling lab location and prisoner list,” he pointed to the left corner of the headquarters on the third floor. “Hunk and Thace, once Pidge gets the prisoners list, I want you to rescue everyone. Remember, there’s a good chance Shiro is there and injured.” He looked towards Allura, remembering the screams of pain. “Lance and I will head to the lab. We are going to set some detonators and run. Destroying Haggar’s work is our main mission. We need to shut down her experiments. According to what Pidge has been able to pull, it’s unlikely Lotor will be there. On the off chance he is, we have to take it. If you have eyes on Lotor, I want him taken down. Any questions?”

Saying Keith was uneasy was an understatement. He did not want Allura anywhere near this mission, but he knew he’d catch hell if she wasn’t included and not just from her, but the whole team. His blood pressure shot up thinking he’s putting her directly in harm’s way. He hated this. Keith’s hope was that with Pidge, she would be safer. There was no guarantee of course, but this is where the benefits outweigh the risks. He knew this. None of this made him feel at ease.

Allura crossed her arms, realizing her part in this mission was limited for a reason. She didn’t appreciate being protected unnecessarily. “It is a solid plan Keith,” she complimented him. “What is our contingency plan?”

“If anyone is compromised, we get out. This team needs to stick together. We can’t afford to lose anyone.”

“I like it. It’s ballsy and I get to handle explosives,” Lance’s tone, full of excitement. “Let’s cut off the snake’s head.”

Hunk was tapping his fingers anxiously, “Well at least recusing prisoners seems fairly safe and I’ve got Thace here with me.”

Hunk put a hand on Thrace’s shoulder and received a deadly glare in return. Hunk quickly removed his hand, placing it behind his back as though it has never been there. Don’t touch the Blade, Hunk mentally noted.

“Suit up, we’ll be there is fifteen.”

They all left with their roles clearly understood. Keith grabbed Allura by the elbow before she headed to her quarters. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Of course, why would I not be?” She responded.

The look Keith gave Allura was that he was not playing games. “I want you to be vigilant that you are not to engage Haggar in any way.”

Allura huffed, “I am getting really sick of being treated like a child, Keith. I will not engage Haggar if I do not have to. I will follow the plan.” She rolled her eyes in defiance, “Are we done?”

Keith realized he hadn’t released her arm. “Allura,” he pleaded with her. “I just want you safe. If anything happened to you because of something I could prevent, I couldn’t live with myself.”

She wanted nothing more than to lean into him. Instead she held strong, replying, “I will always put my Paladins first.”

With that, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately in one single motion. Releasing her just as quickly, he turned and walked away leaving Allura stunned and catching her breath.

***********************************************************************************

Keith leaned against Green, waiting for the others. Chances of everything going according to plan, was highly unlikely. The Paladins arrived, followed by Thace and Allura. There was definitely something going on between them.

It was close quarters in Green. Keith stood protectively near Allura. They caught each other’s eye once. A lot was said without saying a word. Allura could still feel Keith’s kiss upon her lips. She nearly brought her hand up to touch them. His close proximity was trying to shield her from what was to come. Keith’s quintessence was focused and resolute.

Coran came over the com, “Ready to simulate solar interference.”

“Going into stealth mode,” Pidge replied.

They landed several yards away from the compound on a hill covered with natural vegetation that camouflaged Green quite nicely. This was it. They were doing this. They said their goodbyes and wished each other luck as they went their separate ways.

Pidge and Allura were up first. They had to get into the control room and hack the systems. The rest of the mission depended on it.

Allura and Pidge waited under some tree cover watching the guards change shifts at the service entrance. Just as planned, the guard rotation was light. This was their opening. Allura swiftly swung into action taking out two of the four guards with her staff. Pidge taking the other two with her bayard. They  ditched the bodies where Hunk and Thace could find them and steal their uniforms. Pidge called up a map on her wrist guard. “We’ll take the next lift. Move quickly and follow my path. We need to avoid those security cameras.” She pointed to three focal points down the hallway.

Allura nodded and followed her lead. Once on the lift, they traveled three floors up. “Get ready, there should be two century guards right off the lift. I’ll take the right, you take the left,” Pidge instructed. “Follow the same pattern to avoid the security cams, but pause for 30 ticks before moving on. There should be a patrol making rounds. We will be able to avoid them. When we reach the end of the hallway, turn left and get ready to take out two more guards. They will be stationed outside the control room. There will also be at least five Galra inside.”

They breached the control room easily. Perhaps too easily. Allura felt anxious. She kept watch at the door while Pidge began hacking away at their systems.

Allura was tense, “Pidge, are you in yet?”

“One more tick…”

“I’m going to check the hallway. Keep working.”

“Now?” Pidge questioned.

“I will be back in a few dobashes.” Allura left the control room. She had another mission she needed to complete.

“Okay, I’m in.” Pidge paused, “Keith you read me?”

“Yeah, Pidge,” Keith replied.

“Sending lab coordinates to you now. Alarm system and surveillance are out. Good luck. And be careful.”

“Always.”

Pidge did some more rapid-fire typing, searching for the prisoner list. This was taking her longer than she thought, but she was getting close. _And where in the hell is Allura?_ If Allura got captured, Keith would kill her. She didn’t have a choice, but to call Allura over her com. She rolled her eyes as she could already hear Keith’s reaction.

“Allura, where are you?” Pidge questioned.

Keith responded, “Allura’s not with you?”

Pidge hesitated, “Um, she just stepped out for a dobash.”

“You got to be fucking kidding me!” Keith cursed, “Find her now.”

“Allura?” Pidge called over the com once again, this time more frantic.

Allura finally responded, “I am right outside the door.”

Keith replied, “You and I need to have a talk about orders and how to follow them.”

“Pulling the list now,” Pidge broke in.

Allura entered the control room and stood over Pidge’s shoulder, scanning for Shiro’s name or prisoner number. Nothing. That familiar tightness in her chest returned. _Where is he?_

Pidge frowned, “Hunk, Thace, I’m transmitting the prisoner list and cell numbers. There are five prisoners. No Shiro.”

There was a long pause before Hunk responded, “Don’t worry Pidge, we’ll find him. Thace and I are on our way to the cell block. Rendezvous in fifteen.”

“Roger. I’m wrapping up here.”

Keith’s voice was hushed, “Setting charges now. See you _both_ back at Green.”

Pidge gave Allura a look, questioning her disappearance. “What the hell, Allura?”

But Allura was in her own world. _How could Shiro not be here?_ _He was being tortured somewhere._ She could still feel his residual pain. It was very real to her. She closed her eyes and allowed her quintessence to reach out beyond space and time, searching for him. Before she could gain control of what was happening, it was too late. Haggar was there.

Her steely yellow eyes pierced right through Allura. “You can destroy my lab, but you’ll never get your Paladin back. I will make sure of it. He will continue to suffer.”

“You monster! When I find you, I will kill you!” Allura was raging.

Haggar laughed, “You don’t even know the powers you have within you. It’s wasted.” She drew closer to Allura. “You know you can make this stop?”

“I will find you,” Allura spat at her.

Suddenly Shiro emerged from the darkness. Two druids were dragging him towards them, his feet skimming the ground. He was barely cognizant.

“Shiro!”

Groggy and bloodied, Shiro looked up, eyes glazed over. He groaned, “Allu-,” he trailed off, losing consciousness.

“Just stop!” Allura demanded. “What do you want?”

“I think you already know.”

Allura gulped, “Very well.”

The black expanse began dissipating, Allura reached out her hand towards Shiro. “Nooooo!”

Her eyes snapped open. Pidge had both hands on her shoulders, clearly, she had been shaking her.

“Where did you go? You’re freaking me out!” She questioned her, concerned and freaked. “We wasted time we don’t have.”

“I-I…”

Pidge grabbed her arm and yanked her forward not allowing her time to answer. “We gotta go!”

Alarms glared as they hustled down the corridor. An explosion rocked the compound sending the girls to a screeching halt. Part of the ceiling gave way and blocked the lift.

“Now what?” Allura questioned Pidge, trying to hold back the nervousness in her voice.

Pidge brought up the map on her arm and pointed to the left. “This way!”

Keith came over their coms, “We’re waiting ladies. Where are you?”

“Um, we had an issue,” she responded raising an eyebrow at Allura.

Allura’s eyes pleaded with Pidge not to say anything.

“We are working on an alternate route out of here.”

“I’m coming for you,” Keith’s tone was bordering on panic.

“No, you aren’t,” Lance interrupted. “We stay put. Allura, Pidge, you have five minutes and then we’re coming in.”

“Hunk what’s your status,” Keith asked.

Huffing, Hunk was clearly running as he spoke, “We are just to the hill by Green. Why isn’t Green fired up yet?”

Pidge answered, “Complications.”

Thace reached Green’s jaw with Hunk and five prisoners in tow. They scrambled to board while Keith paced.

“Dude, you’re making me nauseous. Quit pacing,” Lance joked.

“I can’t!” Keith said nearly biting Lance’s head off. “They aren’t going to make it. I knew this was going to happen. I went along with this mission against my better judgement! And Allura going rouge…she just can’t help herself!”

“Don’t make me slap some sense into you! You gotta keep your shit together. You’re the leader for quiznack’s sake.”

"A roll I never wanted," he reminded Lance.

By now the compound was going into lock-down mode. There was sheer panic everywhere. Allura and Pidge were navigating through the halls crammed with Galra trying to escape the fire. The chaos was helping them move quickly and relatively unnoticed.

“How much longer?” Keith barked.

“Calm the fuck down, they have two minutes. They are going to make it.” Lance’s annoyance was beginning to rise.

“There,” Pidge pointed. “That’s our way out!”

Allura was confused, “That is a wall, Pidge.”

“Yes indeed,” she replied as she pushed some buttons on her gauntlet.

Just as Green broke through the wall, Allura was wrenched back by two Galra soldiers. Pidge jumped into Green’s mouth, as she turned back to reach for Allura, she was being drug halfway back down the corridor.

“Allura!”

 Allura was kicking violently, trying to break free. “Let go of me!”

Like watching a terrible crash, Allura couldn’t look away. Severed arms still clung to hers as she stood there horrified. Blood spattered her face. Inhaling and exhaling rapidly, she was hyperventilating. Keith ripped the severed arms off her and pulled her towards Green. More Galra soldiers came rushing in their direction. Keith made quick time slashing them down, creating a trail of bloodied bodies. When he reached Green’s jaw, he threw her into the lion’s mouth and jumped aboard.

“Pidge, get us out of here! Now!”

More explosions could be heard in the distance. It appeared that their charges had created a chain reaction. The whole compound was being incinerated. The blaze of orange grew in intensity and then faded into a spec as Green escaped. Allura observed the planet fall away. All her thoughts were scrambled. She subconsciously wiped the blood from her face. It wasn’t as though she had never witnessed horrors. She had seen many when Zarkon was raining down on Altea. This is just a reminder of how thin the margin between good and evil is. It was one thing to witness the horrors, but committing them was entirely different. This only reinforced that he would do what needed to be done. As she stared blankly forward, she tightened her hand around her forearm. _I am stronger than this. They expect so much from me. I have to keep it together. After all, I have made a deal with Haggar. I guess I too am willing to do what needs to be done._

With every fiber of his being, Keith resisted the urge to rush to her side. He couldn’t decide if he wanted  to comfort her or yell at her. She needed space, that he understood and respected. He stood, hovering over Pidge’s chair instead. “What happened back there?” He questioned calmly and quietly.

“We had some Galra interference that prevented a timely escape,” Pidge lied.

Keith pressed her further, “That’s rather unconvincing, Pidge.”

Pidge glanced back at Keith, “Believe what you want. We had interference.” Not entirely a lie.

Keith backed off, watching Allura huddled in the corner, clearly still shaken.

Lance approached her thoughtfully. “You okay?”

Allura was still very far away.

“Allura?”

She emerges from her dark thoughts like shadows fading from daylight. She turns to him, “Huh? Yes, Lance?”

“Hey, you were somewhere else for a moment,” Lance made a keen observation. “Pretty crazy back there. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I am fine,” she lied.

“Here’s the thing Princess, I don’t believe you. You know it’s okay to not be fine all the time.” Another keen observation.

There were cracks in her composure. She had always been so good at concealing her emotions—compartmentalizing emotion from a situation. Today, she was failing miserably. She was letting her Paladins down. She was letting Shiro down. He would disagree with her methods, but he would shoulder the burden with her. _Shiro. I will save you._

Slipping away, walls crumbling around her emotions, fighting back tears, she lunged into Lance and quietly cried on his shoulder. He pulled her closer.

Keith could only watch someone else comfort the woman he loved.  

Hunk tended to the prisoners. They were a sad lot. Lyrians, they said. They were captured and tortured because their race was said to have strong, mystical powers. Powers Haggar wanted to manipulate. There is a reason for all this experimenting. The team needed to get to the bottom of it.  Destroying one lab wasn’t going to stop Haggar. At least they had hit Lotor where it hurts. How Lotor would retaliate, none of them knew. This was war. War with Lotor was not only deadly, but it was mental. Would they wait for his next move?


	7. Black & Red

The Lyrians were tended to and placed in Cryopods to heal under Coran’s supervision. Hunk was busy cooking a meal big enough for all our guests. Pidge was decrypting the new data she collected from Lotor’s headquarters. Lance was taking this opportunity to get some beauty rest.

Agonizing over a holoscreen, Keith was working on their next move. Thace joined him on the bridge. “Commander,” he greeted Keith.

“I wish I knew the right next move,” Keith said a bit frustrated.

“I think I know that answer to that. I just received a message from our spy on the inside. Lotor is furious that we destroyed his base. I’m afraid our mission has severe consequences.” Thace’s voice grave, “Lotor has just enslaved an entire planet. He is bent on revenge. He wants to crush Voltron. He’s calling you out.”

“Looks like we’ve kicked the hornet’s nest,” Keith grinned having some satisfaction that their mission hurt Lotor.

Thace looked confused.

“It’s an earth expression.”

Thace cleared his throat, “We need Voltron.”

“I know,” Keith sighed because he knew that this meant Allura would need to pilot a lion. It couldn’t be avoided any longer. They had no idea when they would find Shiro. Lotor was forcing their hand. Keith didn’t appreciate decisions being made for him. He was far too stubborn for that.

Keith sat in Shiro’s chair, hoping that it would somehow help him make the right decisions. _Hone in on Shiro’s energy. How would he handle this? He would focus on how Allura was going to bond with Red. He would help her with that. This means more quality time with Allura._ All of which he dreaded and longed for at the same time. He was going to help her bond with his lion, so that she could be even more directly in danger. _Great._ And he was still pissed that she had gone rogue. He wanted to know why. A fight he wasn’t particularly excited to have. In addition to all of that, he wanted to continue with where they left off. _Stop picturing her naked._

Keith would need to start by getting reacquainted with the black lion. _Ah crap, I need to put some time in with Black. No time like the present._

Entering Black’s hanger, Keith swallowed hard. This was going to be difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allura wrung her hands together, trying to calm her quintessence. Being prepared to face Haggar and rescue Shiro was where her focus needed to be. Then why was Keith all she could think about _. His fierce determination to do what the situation required is admirable. He didn’t hesitate to bring the Galra to their knees. He didn’t hesitate to save me._

Allura was really trying to keep the torrent of feelings for two men in check. Keith was here and willing to allow her in when he is normally so guarded from everyone. Shiro was bringing her back to life. He was there to pull her from the undercurrent when the terror of Altea’s last hours came flashing before her like she was in that exact, horrifying moment again. Shiro was always there for her. He understood her demons. He too had them. That was how they found each other on the verge of making love—intimate consoling. Neither of them was thinking clearly. They had built a foundation of trust and that spilled over into emotional sex. Almost, anyway. _Oh, quiznack. I need to find Keith.  
_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_Control yourself. Focus. Do not let your emotions for Shiro cloud your judgement._ Black ultimately had an odd soothing effect on Keith. He gripped the controls, channeling all his thoughts into Shiro. He could almost reach his connection with Black. _Hey, girl. I know I’m not Shiro, but we need Voltron right now. You and I have partnered together to save Shiro before. We need to do it again._

Magic that he could never possibly understand, but was drawn to without question, merged with his very soul. It felt almost like floating beyond yourself—greeting a long-lost friend. He could feel Shiro in Black. It wasn’t quite tangible, but it was strong; full of raw feelings. Shiro was almost within reach. The control panel lit up. A rush of emotion washed over Keith. The two were linked. _Thanks, girl._ Keith breathed a sigh of relief. He sat there for a while letting the alignment of thoughts and feelings settle. It was like a current of electricity flowed through is body. His senses were heightened. The connection to everything around him was more intense than he could've imagined. He could feel her enter. He could practically taste the conflict within her.

“Princess,” he said her name without turning towards her. His hands still clutched the controls.

“How did you know it was me?” she questioned him, surprised.

She leaned against the console with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

“I could _feel_ you.”

She choked back a shocked expression, leaving her face stone cold. “I see,” she brushed it off. The idea of Keith being able to sense her was more than she could deal with at the moment. It could only mean one thing…

“I don’t think you heard me. I could _feel_ you,” he repeated.

“Oh, I heard you. I am sure it is just that your senses are hyper-aware being in Black. You have reestablished your bond with her. She has very strong quintessence.” Allura changed the subject, “I see we are both thinking the same. We need Voltron. I am pleased to see that your bond to her is stable.” She paused before she spoke again, “It must feel…”

“Yeah, it does,” Keith said in his usual detached tone.

She avoided eye contact with Keith. “I came to speak to you about Red.” _And some other things._ “Will you help me bond with your lion?”

Keep stood up, putting a finger under her chin, drawing her eyes up. “What’s wrong?”

“Keith,” she hesitated.

“You can tell me anything,” he pulled her hands into his, drawing them to rest against his chest. “For once, talk to me. Quit running away.”

She wanted to tell him about how she felt about Shiro. She wanted to tell him that they need to pause whatever was happening between them. “I am uncertain on how bonding with Red will go. What if she doesn't accept me?” she said instead. When in Keith’s presence, that irresistible pull was impossible to ignore. She allowed herself to fall into the rhythm of his beating heart, opening herself up to a deeper connection than ever before. Waves of quintessence that was not hers or Keith’s flooded the cockpit, dancing around her. Pushing her closer to Keith.

“You have nothing to worry about. I will help you every step of the way. Red is temperamental, but you’ve got this,” Keith said confidently, standing even closer to her. Tempting her to want him as much as he wanted her.

“Right, yes. I can do this. Of course.”

“Is there anything else?”

She adverted her eyes all around the cockpit and bit her lower lip. “No,” her voice laced with conflict.

 _She’s still mad at me._ “About what happened…I just couldn’t let Lotor or Haggar take you. I’m sorry if that frightened you, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Her fingers wound themselves through his own, yet she remained silent. She was deciding whether to share her fears with Keith.

“The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me.”

“I am not,” her voice was unwavering.

“And yet it feels like you are shutting me out. Don’t do that. Not now.”

She broke down, letting some of her fears go, “It is silly really, but in that moment I was reminded of Altea—of what Zarkon did. It felt like I was back there. Frozen with shock at the horrors I was witnessing. Zarkon was ruthless—pure evil.”

“I’m not Zarkon,” Keith said defensively, as he pulled away. Missing the contact the instant is was broken.

“Keith, that is not what I meant. You know that.”

“Then what? You see me as a different kind of monster?” He said in anger, trying to cover the hurt.

 “You are not a monster. You are not Zarkon. You are a Paladin of Voltron and our leader. You need to believe that.”

He shook his head. “I’ll never understand why Shiro chose me to lead. Sometimes I don’t know if I’m up to the challenge. I’m reckless. I don’t always think or even care about the consequences.”

“A leader makes decisions. They are not always the right ones, but we learn from them. We grow and become better; stronger. Keith, do not underestimate yourself. The team believes in you. Black believes in you. Shiro believes in you.”

“And what about you?”

She came near him once again, “I believe in you.”

He pulled her into a tight embrace, leaning in to kiss her.

She willed herself to back away, “Keith," long pause, "We need to focus.” Her heart was beating obnoxiously. This was the right decision she tried convincing herself. She had to sort through how she felt. Shiro needed her. She had to stay the course. She would need to keep Keith at an arm’s length. _I must be in control at all times._

“I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?” Keith said confused. He thought they were becoming something more.

“No, of course not. It is just…these feelings…they are very distracting, are they not?”

“I understand. We need to focus on forming Voltron,” he said seriously, but followed with a cunning smile, “I’m sorry I’m so distracting. It’s a gift.”

Allura couldn’t help but smile back. Keith could be extremely charming when he wanted to be. One more thing she found hard to resist.

She turned serious. “I failed Shiro,” she confessed.

“What? No,” he said gently.

“If I had been honest about Zarkon, he would have been more prepared. He would not be missing. He would not be in pain.”

“You can’t beat yourself up about this,” he replied sympathetically. “You just said sometimes leaders don’t always make the right decisions, but we learn from them.”

“I feel responsible.”

“I get that. Trust me, I do. But this doesn’t mean you should take actions based on guilt.” He was lecturing.

“I really do not think a lecture is helpful right now,” she said urging him to back off.

“I don’t get any pleasure from lecturing you, but if I don’t say anything, you take that as my blessing.”

She rolled her eyes.

Keith was dealing with his own feelings of guilt. “The odds have always against us. But now, it seems far worse. Thace told me that Lotor has enslaved an entire planet as punishment for destroying his compound. That’s why we need Voltron now. I’m not going to let our actions—my actions, hurt others.”

“Now who’s reacting based on guilt?” She lectured.

“This is different. We are all responsible for this. He is drawing us out. He wants a fight and I plan on giving him one.”

Allura clasped her hand over her heart. “We will stop him.”

Keith turned to face her. “There is only one way to do that. Red is waiting for us.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hesitantly, she sat in Red’s chair. Keith stood behind her. This was her father’s Lion. Red was different from the other lions and she could almost sense his presence. Perhaps some of his quintessence is still in Red. Tears stained her face as she thought of how much she truly missed her father.

“Clear your mind. Let Red in. Talk to her,” Keith said, allowing his voice to guide Allura.

Closing her eyes, that in-between place shrouded over her again. The blackest black devoured her. Emptiness. So much nothing. Allura found this all very unsettling. This time was different. She felt trapped with walls closing in. She reached out her hands to stop it, but it was just a vast, void of black.

“Hello?” Her voice echoed.

Walking because that seemed the only option. _Wait, is there light?_ Closer and closer she came towards it. This smallest spec of light. It was like a fragment of hope amidst this dreadful darkness.

Feelings crashing onto her hard, sending her physically backwards. Fear. Concern. Strength. Pain. Sorrow. It was all there mixed up into a huge pot of chaos. Ebbing and flowing through her body. She wished nothing more than for it to stop. It was making her sick. And then he was there.

“Shiro,” she called out his name.

“Allura!”

Running faster than her legs could carry her, she rushed to him. His arms outstretched waiting for her body to meet his own. And just before she could embrace him, there was nothing.

“Noooooooo!”

Back to reality. Keith knelt by her side with a comforting hand on her thigh. His face read like she was slipping away. “Allura, are you okay?”

She cleared her throat, it was sore from yelling. “Yes.”

“It was Shiro again?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about it."

“I was so close to reaching him, Keith.” She placed her hand over his; desperate for touch.

“What happened? You were screaming.”

“Haggar. She keeps taking him away. She is taunting me. There is only one thing that will save Shiro.”

Keith stood up, crossing his arms assertively, “Absolutely not.”

“It is the only way.” Allura stood defiantly. “I will do whatever it takes to save Shiro.”

“You will not. Sacrificing one for another. Noble, but stupid.”

“Oh, so now I am stupid? I am sorry you cannot understand the need to do the right thing no matter the sacrifice.”

“Ouch. You’re really good at giving low blows, you know that? I didn’t say you were stupid,” he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I just meant that there has to be another way.”

She shoved off his hands and stepped back. That close proximity to him questioned her judgement. “One problem at a time,” she changed the subject once again. “Voltron first. Then Shiro. You have to trust me. I have a plan.”

“I already hate the sound of this.”

“Back to Red. I need to channel all my energy into my bond with her.”

“Fine. Back to bonding, but don’t think for one second you are off the hook. You are not going to go off and do anything crazy. Got it?”

She sat back down at the controls, glancing slyly in his direction. “Me. Never.”

“And don’t think you’re off the hook about what happened back at Lotor’s compound. You disappeared for a bit. That will not happen again.”

“Yes, commander,” she responded sarcastically.

“Allura…” he warned.

“Fine,” she huffed.

After some time solely focused on bonding, she began to feel Red. Red was passionate, and fiery. Just like Keith. Just as she was forging a connection with Red, she was forging a deeper connection with Keith. The three of them were mixing together, dancing around each other, becoming one. It was so powerful, Allura had to grip the controls tighter as they left the hanger.

“Relax, she likes you,” Keith explained. “Take a deep breath. I feel like you aren’t breathing.”

“I am breathing,” Allura said as she let out a big whoosh of air.

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

“I know you can feel what I am feeling.”

“Yes. It’s very powerful. Stay focused. Let her guide you.”

Allura maneuvered Red through wide open space. It was unlike anything she had felt before. It was far different than flying the Castle. It was absolutely exhilarating. Her heart was light and carefree. It was the happiest she felt in a very long time.

“Okay, cadet,” he joked, “let’s head back to the Castle. It’s one thing to pilot a lion. Now, we have to see how we all work together to form Voltron.”

Keith could feel Allura’s joy. All the heavy was lifted. Just temporarily. _God, I wish she could be like this forever._ He wished they could just run away and never come back. This need to protect her was consuming him. A dangerous game for everyone.

 


	8. Sacrifices

After several attempts to form Voltron, they were now working cohesively as one unit. Allura was flying Red like a pro. And as she feared, she became closer to Keith. Although he had been respecting her boundaries, this was becoming increasingly difficult for Keith.

They were on route to return the Lyrians safely home. Keith was at Shiro’s station taking the night watch. In three days’ time, they would confront Lotor again. They would free a planet. They would all be in lions. _Patience yields focus. I can’t let my worries for Allura’s safety divert my attention. She can handle Red. She is part of the team now._

He gazed out the main view screen at the passing stars, he had never realized how beautiful this all was. These stars and planets he could never have imagined seeing what was right before him in a vast canvas of black splattered with gleams of white stardust. The serenity reminded him of the desert. His eyes would travel miles and miles of night sky as he sat on the edge of the bluff. It was dead silent, just the way Keith liked it. And for one fleeting moment he missed it.

Lost in thought, Keith didn’t hear Pidge enter.

“Hey,” she said as she rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses.

“What’s up? I got the night shift.”

She plopped down at her station. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d keep working on decrypting the data I hacked from Lotor. I don’t know, maybe I can find something about where Shiro’s located or maybe my family.”

Keith approached her, “Pidge, if anyone can find them, it’s you.”

Pidge beamed. “Thanks.” She started typing and stopped. “Do you ever wonder about your family?”

“Sometimes,” Keith shrugged. He kept this part of his life very protected.

“Oh, I just thought…with you being Galra…”

“Thanks for the reminder Pidge,” Keith said sharply.

Pidge felt bad, “Sorry, it’s just that your mom must be Galra, right?”

“I suppose she is, but that’s the last thing I have any time to think about.” Keith’s said, his tone guarded.

Pidge gulped and adjusted her glasses. She just put her foot in her mouth. “I’ll just get back to work.”

Keith didn’t mean to be so…Keith. He did often wonder about his mother now that he knew he was part Galra. He had lots of unanswered questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allura and Coran were checking in on the Lyrians. They were healed. Their bellies were full. Soon they would be home. Home. She often wished she had a home to return to. Now was not the time to become weepy over something that cannot be undone.

One of the eldest Lyrians approached her. “Child, you have strong magic within.”

Allura smiled, “I do have some powers, but they are not any greater than any other Altean. I am not special.”

“I’m afraid you are wrong. You are very special indeed.”

“Thank you for saying so,” she replied politely.

Coran took notice of the conversation between them.

The elder grabbed her wrist tightly, startling Allura. “No! You are strong. Stronger than you can imagine. If you do not hone in on your abilities, Haggar will take them from you and that will cause more destruction than Zarkon has done in the last 10,000 years.”

Coran interrupted, “Unhand the Princess.”

Allura advised Coran to back away. “How do you know this?” Allura urgently questioned him.

“Can you not feel the magic surging between us? You are in denial. You are afraid.”

She yanked her arm away, losing her normal dignitary composure. “I am not afraid. Haggar can try to take my magic, but she is the one that should be afraid.”

Allura stormed off. This was very unlike her. Coran hurried after her.

“Princess, wait!”

She kept walking. “Coran, I do not want to talk about this.”

He pulled at her elbow. “Stop, please, Princess.”

Allura came to a halt and crossed her arms like a defiant child. “I am listening.”

“Princess, I think you should listen to what the Elder had to say. There are ancient scrolls in Altean history that speak of a different type of magic that was bestowed on only on a select few; the chosen ones. You have a gift. There is a reason you can feel Shiro. There is a reason you are having visions. I have never seen any Altean heal a Balmera the way that you have. You _are_ special and your powers could be dangerous.”

Her stubbornness was blinding her to the truth. She knew she was changing. She knew it. Despite the fact that she would be willing to give up her magic to save Shiro, she didn’t want to hear that her powers could be used to do atrocious things. Things she had witnessed with her own eyes. Wouldn’t that just jeopardize more planets? Allura would never allow her sacrifice to harm the masses.

“Coran, I cannot handle one more thing right now,” Allura held back a sob.

Coran gave her a protective hug, “It’s okay, Princess.”

With Coran, Allura allowed herself to be more vulnerable. He was like a father to her. Especially now. He couldn’t let her bare more than she could handle. She had so much on her plate already. If he could take any of it from her he would, but she was far too honorable to allow Coran to do that. She wanted to protect him. She wanted to protect all of them.

A few tears fell before Allura completely composed herself to carry on. She just wanted to make it to her room without a breakdown.

On her way to her quarters, she bumped into Hunk. “Oh, Hunk. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Princess. You clearly got a lot on your mind. I suppose we all do.” He replied sympathetically.

“I suppose we do.”

“You know Princess, you never cease to amaze me. You are the glue that keeps us all together,” he said honestly.

This only enforced her instinct to shoulder the burden. “Thanks Hunk.”

“Family sticks together, right?” He nudged her with his elbow.

Allura gave Hunk a faint smile, “Yes, they do.”

“I’m on my way to the bridge to relieve Keith of his shift. Are you heading that way?”

“No. I am headed back to my quarters.”

She hurried to her quarters before running into anyone else. _Breathe in, breathe out._ Allura needed to clear her mind. It was racing far too fast. Too many thoughts and feelings chaotically dancing around becoming sharper and more jagged, hitting all corners of her soul. Deeper and deeper she began to fall, control slipping through her fingertips. She was unable to stop it from happening again. She very much doubted she even could.

The space was cold. Bitterly so. That soft light taunting her again. Always just within reach, but never obtainable. _What is that?_ Allura was certain it was significant and familiar. Echoing footsteps coming from no particular direction. Allura looked all around for the source.

“Shiro?”

“Allura. Don’t come for me,” he begged.

She still couldn’t see him. “Shiro, I will not leave you behind,” she stated adamantly.

He stepped out of the darkness, revealing his face turned downward. His hair was long and disheveled. She could not see his expression. But by the slump in his posture, he seemed...broken. Allura started towards him, but he backed away. “No,” he said.

“Let me help you,” she spoke in a soft, loving tone.

His voice suddenly menacing, “It’s too late.” As he looked up, his eyes were glowing purple.

Allura jolted out of her trance, terrified. The window to save Shiro was closing. Haggar wouldn’t kill him, but she would turn him into a monster unless she gave her what she wanted. It was a warning. Soon she would need to deliver on her promise. With wobbly legs, she was able to sit on a chair, resting her elbows on her knees and her hands on her face, she cried.

There was a soft knock at her door. She had no desire to see anyone. Allura wiped her eyes, stood and straightened her dress. “Enter.”

A wide, flirtatious smile greeted her, “Hi Princess. Can I come in?”

She directed him to the chair next to her. They both sat. That wall of refined nobility was on display. “I have seen this look before. What is it, Lance?”

Lance turned serious, “Can we talk?”

“Of course, what is on your mind?”

Lance dove right into what was troubling him, “I’m worried about you. You're pushing yourself too hard. You have powers you don’t know how to control. Don’t get me wrong, you have exceeded my expectation when flying Red. You’re a natural. When we are all connected through Voltron, we can feel your strength.”

Allura interrupted him, “But…”

“But, I fear for your safety as Keith does. And there is something else I feel when we are connected.”

“What?”

“A wall or barrier. You won’t let any of us feel or see what’s happening behind it. I need you to know that we are stronger when we stay together. I have the sick feeling you are going to go off on your own to help Shiro.”

Allura feigned being offended.

“Yeah, exactly. I know that’s what you are going to do. This is going to drive Keith insane. You know that, right?”

“I do not make decisions lightly. I cannot let Shiro suffer any longer. Haggar wants me, not Shiro. I realize this will upset the others. I can handle Haggar. Just be on alert. Shiro will contact you.”

“How do you know that?” Lance questioned.

“Do you trust me?”

“Answering a question with a question, that’s like a classic diversion tactic in all of my favorite detective movies. Nice try, Princess. How do you know?”

Allura stood and turned her back to Lance. “Because I have had more visions. I have seen what is to come. If I do not turn myself over to Haggar, Shiro will…” she couldn’t finish that sentence, without tears.

“Princess? Please don’t cry.” Her sadness was breaking his heart.

She wiped the tears away immediately. “I have no choice.”

Lance approached her, “Don’t you think we can do this together? We are a team. Need I remind you how badly things went when you and Keith took off in the middle of the night?”

She rolled her eyes, and forced herself to turn towards Lance. “Would you not do the same if you were in my position?”

Lanced couldn’t argue with that. He would do anything for them. “But…this is different.”

“How?”

“Well…you know…it’s just that…” Lance stumbled over his words.

“Precisely. Now, please respect what I have to do.”

Lanced conceded, “You’re lucky you won’t have to deal with grumpy pants. He’s going to be beyond furious.”

Allura hung her head, “I know and I regret that. Just know that I will come back to all of you if I can.”

“Don’t even talk like that! Of course, you’re coming back.”

“My father always said you can’t be the hero and the victim.”

“Allura, you are scaring me.”

“We are all scared, but that cannot stop us from doing what is right. What is better for the greater good.”

Lance got a bit mouthy, “Aren’t you just running off half-cocked to save one person? Remember, saving the universe if bigger than any one of us. It is the fucking greater good!”

And this is where Allura couldn’t reveal the other part of her plan. The part that would ensure peace. She folded her hands together and remained silent.

Lance softened a bit. He was channeling his inner Keith—flying off the rails like that. “Please, you don’t have to do this alone. We want to help. I want to help.”

She placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “Sometimes doing it alone is the only option.”

“God, you are more stubborn than Keith,” Lance said rather dramatically.

She smiled, “I will take that as a compliment.”

“It’s not,” he said before yanking her into a hug. “Be careful.”

“I will and please keep this between us.”

He squeezed her tight one more time before leaving her quarters. _Fuck._ He didn’t normally take his frustrations out on the training deck, but he would make an exception in this case.

Before he turned the corner to the training room, he ran straight into Keith. “Watch it.”

Lanced rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “Oh, sorry man. I was just headed to get some training in. You know, keep all my muscles taunt."

Keith gave Lance a suspicious look, "Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something from me?"

"No. Why would I do that? And what are you doing on this side of the ship anyway? Huh?” Lance questioned trying to put Keith on the spot.

“You’re avoiding the question,” Keith prodded him for answers.

“Nope. Me. No.”

“Okay, so now I really know something is wrong. Fess up”

He promised Allura he would keep her secret even though he knew it was wrong to do so. He shouldn’t hide anything from the rest of the team. He shouldn’t allow Allura to put herself in such a dangerous position. He should confess to Keith that Allura was going to throw herself right into Lotor’s hands. But, he didn’t. As much as he wanted to stop her, part of him knew he would do the same thing given the chance. “Can’t a person want to be at their best mentally and physically?” Lance said annoyed.

Keith's face read like a statue, “Cut the crap.”

“Look, I was just having a heart to heart with Allura. Jealous?” Lance quipped.

“Oh?” Keith became concerned, “Is she okay?”

“What the Princess tells me in confidence, stays that way.” Lanced pushed past Keith. He needed to get out of that situation fast. It was easy to fall into the Keith trap of confessing. He had an unnerving way of prying things out of a person.

Keith pondered what Lance and Allura could possibly be talking about. He knew it wasn’t any of his business, but that didn’t stop him from investigating.

Knocking softly, “Allura?”

Allura had just laid down onto her bed. Her stomach was nauseous, and the room was spinning. These visions were getting more difficult to bounce back from. She didn’t answer, hoping Keith would go away.

He knocked again. “I know you are in there. If you don’t let me in, I’ll override your keypad.” So much for not prying.

Allura sighed, “Fine. Enter.”

Keith had not expected her to be lying in bed. Keith had not expected her to look so pale. That strange sensation of connectedness was there once again. Allura was sick. Her body was being pushed too hard.

She was about to get up, when Keith waved that wasn’t necessary. Instead he pulled up a chair next to her bedside. “Tell me what’s going on, please.”

The struggle to keep her eyes open didn’t help her trick Keith into thinking she was fine. In fact, she was certain that she looked anything but. “I am not feeling well.”

Even more color drained from her face before she jumped out of bed and ran into her washroom. There, Keith could hear her vomiting. A few minutes later she stood in the door frame, with her elbow resting against it. “I feel much better.”

Keith rushed to her side to help her get back into bed. It was obvious to him she was very ill, she could barely stay upright.

“Maybe you have some kind of alien flu?” Keith suggested, feeling her forehead.

“Yes. Perhaps.”

“Do you think it came from the Lyrians? Maybe they are carrying some germs that are harmful to Alteans.” Keith theorized, having difficulty pinpointing what he was sensing from Allura.

“Maybe.”

Short answers to avoid the pain was something Keith was far too familiar with. He was the king of doing that. He could spot this deception without needing the ability to sense her. “And when did you start feeling sick?”

“Are all these questions necessary? Keith, Alteans do get sick. You need to stop hovering.”

Keith feigned insult. “I’m not hovering. I'm at an appropriate level of concern for a sick friend.”

Allura giggled, “My mistake.”

“You're starting to look a little better. Let me get you some Altean tea."

Allura pulled at his arm. “Keith, I am okay.”

He patted her hand, “I know.”

Her eyes closed and she drifted off or passed out. Keith wasn’t sure. He just knew she was going past the safe limits of her powers. Or at least what she could safely control and this was making her vulnerable. Keith couldn’t help but sense more conflict in Allura. What was driving it was still hidden from him. But this constant pressure to find Shiro and piloting a lion wasn’t the main source of it.

When she awoke Keith was gone. She was disappointed, but knew it was for the best. He was getting too close again. Even though, he agreed to back off, he was struggling. She was struggling. She sat up in bed and grabbed her head. The ache dulled, but it hung over her like a dark cloud.

_I am about to make a huge decision that will impact the team. I know that when we intercept Lotor, that will be my opportunity to turn myself over to Haggar. I know they will not understand. Keith will not understand or more so, he will feel betrayed. Oh, quiznak._


	9. All Bets Are Off

With the Lyrians safely back home, they would reach Lotor soon. Flying into unknown danger made everyone uneasy. They were grossly unprepared.

  
Pidge kept rewinding the footage, looking at it over and over. Cross-checking and double-checking. It was Matt, but who were the other two aliens with him? I can’t find any data on who they are or what they are.

  
Pidge rubbed her eyes in frustration, but it was something. A lead. The first lead she had. The footage was recent, so the chances Haggar had her family were slim. That was a relief.

  
Keith put a light hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

  
Pidge’s eyes glazed over with tears. “I’ve found Matt.”

  
“Really? Where?” Keith kept his voice even, sensing how fragile Pidge was.

  
She looked up at him, “I don’t know, but this is the footage that I downloaded when we hit Lotor’s compound and he’s on it. He’s with two other aliens that I’ve been unable to identify. Yet.”

  
“Good work, Pidge. We are getting closer.” Keith gave her a crooked, reassuring smile.

  
“I like this positive Keith.” She beamed at him.

  
Hunk and Lance entered the bridge. “So, what’s the plan commander?”

  
“Coran, pull up the long-range sensors.”

  
The screen brought up a large Galra blockade surrounding the planet Vox.

  
“Looks like they are expecting us.” Lance joked.

  
“Do you think Lotor is really here?” Hunk asked.

  
“I don’t think he’d miss it.” Keith replied.

  
Allura arrived on the bridge, looking terrible. Her headache hadn’t gone away completely. In fact, her head ached more than it didn’t at this point. She was wicked tired. Keith couldn’t help but notice. They all noticed.

  
Coran spoke first, “Princess, you look exhausted. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”

  
“I am fine, Coran. We cannot let Lotor get away with this. These people need us. They need Voltron.” Despite her exhaustion, she had to stick to the plan.

  
Keith nodded in agreement. “Gather round. The plan is to go in hot as Voltron. We can easily take the four cruisers forming the blockade line. Coran will give cover as the fighters start to attack. And the Blade will be hitting them from behind. A little surprise I planned. Thace will be taking a cloaked ship down to the surface and rendezvous with Kolivan's team to take down the support base the Galra have in place.

  
“And Lotor?” Lance wondered what Keith had in store for him.

  
“He’s there somewhere,” Keith speculated.

  
Allura’ head began to throb. _Nooo!_ But it was too late. She was being pulled under as she fought to break free from these visions. This time was different. That slit of light was right before her. Pulling at the door, it opened easily to reveal Shiro strapped to a table. He was unconscious. Haggar appeared, dragging her long nail along Shiro’s face. Allura tried lunging for her, but froze. She couldn’t move.

  
“Time is running out,” she cackled. The witch approached Shiro and placed her hand on his chest. The scream was horrific.

  
“Stop!”

  
Falling through the black, she was curled up onto the floor shaking, looking up to see the team looming over her with terrified eyes.

  
“Princess, are you alright?” Coran could not conceal the alarm in his voice. He grabbed at her arm, pulling her up from the ground. She swayed slightly.

  
All eyes were on her. Her head; she winced as she rubbed it. “I am alright."

  
“Princess, with all due respect, that’s bullshit,” Lance got straight to the point. He was just saying what the others were thinking.

  
The connection between her and Keith was still strong. He now knew she was keeping these visions from him. Feeling her pain was eating at him while she stood there lying. Saying she was fine. She was not.

  
Lance and Keith exchanged worried glances.

 

"It was just a vision. I will be fine, but it is Shiro that is not alright. Shiro needs us.” Praying on their concern for Shiro was her only move.

  
Hunk was a bit frantic, “We are about to face Lotor and the Princess is having visions and blacking out. Not good. We’ll never be able to form Voltron if Allura isn’t stable. No offense Princess.”

  
Coran agreed, “We need to abort.”

  
Allura stood proud, “We will not turn back. I assure you, I will not let you down. I will not fail you.” She couldn’t stand seeing the pity in their eyes. Fussing over her like an injured child.

  
“We will reach Vox in a few vargas. Report to your lions then.” Keith left abruptly.

  
“Are you sure you are up for this, Princess?” Coran questioned again.

  
“I know you are worried about me. I can do this.”

  
Coran gave her a nod. She was far too determined for him to argue. He rarely won those arguments anyway. “At least rest. You have some time.”

  
“All I have been doing is resting,” she replied angrily as her head throbbed. “But, I will do it for you.”

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Keith was waiting outside of Allura's quarters. Her heart skipped a beat as she drew closer to him.

  
“Waiting for me?” She said, trying to keep the mood light.

  
Somewhat aggressively, he grabbed her arm pulling through the door to her quarters. When the door slid shut, he pressed her against it, drawing his mouth needily over hers. She didn’t resist.

  
Breathing heavily, “I want you.”

  
“Keith, I…”

  
He picked her up and brought her over to the bed. She wanted this just as badly as he did. The connection between them was beyond understanding. It was an undeniable pull of energy—impossible to ignore. He pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor. Crawling over her like a cat stalking its prey, he pushed her down onto the bed. “I know I said I would respect your boundaries. I know we agreed not to let our feelings for each other get in the way. I can’t hold back any longer. You are all I think about. If we go on this mission, and something goes wrong, I’ll regret not doing this.”

  
There has been so much darkness, she just wanted to feel something; passion. Part of her still felt like she was betraying Shiro, but Shiro wasn’t here. And she would be doing everything she could to save him. Guilt was a powerful emotion. Racing through her mind were undeniable doubts that this was the right thing to do. This was no where near the right thing to do. But there was no way she could stop this from happening, nor did she want to. The fall into the unknown was terrifying. It was consuming. Sinking within the turbulent waters of wanting to drown because it meant you were alive. Becoming closer to Keith than she could possibly imagine was a temptation she could no longer ignore. Just to feel whole. To know someone wants you and needs you. Keith was so guarded. He was allowing her in. Allowing himself to be vulnerable. Keith didn’t do vulnerable. The more they kissed, the more she became consumed in the moment.

  
They frantically removed the remainder of her clothes, allowing their naked flesh to make contact, sparking a tremor of sensation through both of them. He stopped suddenly.

  
“What?” She questioned, fearing he had changed his mind.

  
“Nothing. I’m just stopping to admire the view.”

  
Allura blushed as he soaked in every inch of her naked body.  

  
Weathered hands gently cupped her breasts as he trailed kisses down her neck. She groaned just enough to ignite his unrestrained lust. His hands danced lightly over her stomach traveling between her legs. Keith was attuned to her every need, anticipating what she wanted. Anticipating how Allura’s body would respond to his touch.  While his finger continued to play with her, she raked fingernails through his hair and down his back.

  
“Keith,” she whispered into his ear. “I want you.”

  
He grinned wickedly like he was waiting for the okay to devour her. Instead of giving her what she asked for, he sucked on her nipples causing her body to writhe with pleasure. Traveling further south, his kisses littered the landscape of her skin, slowly reaching their intended destination. She bit down on her own finger to stifle a loud moan. Their connection grew stronger, intensifying what was happening between them. She could now read Keith’s mind. Hear his thoughts. He smugly congratulated himself for driving her insane.

  
She was about to take control of the situation, but Keith knew and returned to kissing her neck as his body weighed down on hers.

  
_“Not yet,”_ he replied through their link.

  
Allura gripped onto the pillow in an effort to slow her breathing by focusing elsewhere. It wasn’t working.

  
“Don’t make me beg.”

  
“I would never do that to a princess.”

  
Keith eased himself inside of her slowly. Another soft groan escaped her lips before she covered his mouth with hers. Keith kept a slow, steady pace in and out. He knew he couldn’t keep this up for long, but he felt that a princess should be pampered and treated with respect even though Allura was far from a delicate flower. She grabbed his ass urging him to an increase his pace. He followed her lead, thrusting into her hard. The tension building. Hands tracing every inch of her body, memorizing it; savoring it. Touches and kisses escalating into an explosion of pleasure.

  
Keith collapsed onto Allura, breathing heavily. “That was….” He paused, _“amazing,”_ he replied telepathically.

  
With her eyes closed tight, she was capturing this night into her memory. She wanted to never forget this moment.

  
Keith rolled onto his side. “Allura? Are you okay?” There was genuine fear that she regretted everything.

  
No response.

  
Keith nudged her, panicking that she was gone again. “Allura!”

  
Her bright, blue eyes fluttered open. “I am alright Keith. In fact, I am more than alright.” She smiled at him.

  
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried you’d gone away again.”

  
“This was wonderful.”

  
“You know every time you have a vision, I fear you are slipping away from us.”

  
“I do not want to talk about visions,” she leaned closer to Keith’s lips, allowing her breath to graze his. “I want you.”

  
He couldn’t think straight after she said that. He pounced on her again except this time it wasn’t gentle or pampered. It was primal and passionate. It was two people merging together in a magical moment where no one else mattered except the two of them.

  
He wrapped her tightly in his arms, allowing her to drift off. She would need her strength. This would be the first time they would go into battle as a unit. Like a genetic anomaly, dark thoughts immediately flooded Keith’s mind. Anything good Keith had in his life was taken away from him, including Shiro. He couldn’t deny that fear in the pit of his stomach that Allura would be next. Spending just one tick thinking these thoughts was like going down the rabbit hole.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Coran was at this station, staring at the view screen. “There sure are a lot of them.”

  
Keith loathed this mission even more than before.

  
Lance was chomping at the bit. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I get a parade.”

  
Adjusting her glasses, Pidge’s mind always calculated the odds. She was feeling confident today.

  
Even Hunk was trying to look on the bright side, “You know, it doesn’t look that bad.”

  
“This is what we are flying into,” Keith stated. “There is no denying there are a lot of fighters out there. The whole planet is surrounded.”

  
Thace entered with Allura. Secrets. Again. Keith’s mood easily went to agitated.

  
“The Blade is ready commander,” He bowed, and left the bridge to meet with his tactical team.

  
Allura was silent. Something was going on with her.

  
Keith was picking up on some strange vibes radiating off her. He shook his head in frustration. “God dammit Allura,” he barked out of nowhere.

  
She gasped a little and narrowed her eyes at him. “Is there a problem?”

  
Hunk started freaking out, “Guys, you’re freaking me out. You’re fighting. That means something’s wrong.”

  
Lanced groaned, “What now? Can’t you two stow it. We are about to kick some Galra ass. Focus on the mission.”

  
“Don’t even play dumb with me,” Keith was pissed. “We can’t rely on you when you are constantly hiding shit from us.”

  
“ _Watch it,”_ she warned.

  
Hunk was concerned looking from Lance to Pidge to Keith, “What secret? Secrets are bad. I thought we all knew that.”

  
Lance kept quiet, now realizing why Keith was so upset.

  
Even Pidge needed answers. “Allura?”

 

Keith didn't allow Allura to respond. “Change of plans, we are going to hit them hard with the lions first,” Keith wasn’t playing games with the lives of the team. “Allura, a word in private.”

  
He grabbed her by the elbow and forcibly pushed through the bridge’s entryway.

  
Allura yanked her arm away. “Keith, you have to stay calm and focused. You cannot go flying off the handle every time you think I am hiding something from you.”

  
“I think your hiding something? I KNOW you’re hiding something from me. What the hell is going on with you and Thace? And so help me god, if you say nothing…”

  
Crossing her arms tightly against her chest, she held firm. “There is nothing going on that concerns you.”

  
Keith shook his head in disgust. “So, this is how you want to play it. After we just had sex. After I opened up to you. After I trusted you like no one else and this is what I get in return? Cut the bullshit, Allura.”

  
Containing her own anger and guilt wasn’t working. “I am going to get Shiro!” She blurted out.

  
“What?!” Keith was in shock. That was the last thing he expected her to say.

  
“Thace and I are working on a plan. I had no intention of telling you because I know you would not allow it.” She wasn’t completely lying.

  
He began pacing. “I don’t even know where to start. I’m so angry at you right now. Never allow it? I’d sooner tie you up than let you go off on some half-cocked plan to rescue Shiro alone.” He took a forced breath, rubbing his forehead vigorously, “Lance knows doesn’t he?”

  
She nodded in embarrassment.

  
“Un-fucking believable. You can share this with Lance, but not me?! You don’t respect me at all, do you? You think I’m a failure as the leader. You think you can make all the tough decisions with no concern for consequences or the team and you think I’ll just go along with it because I’m in love with you!”

  
“Y-you are in love with me?" Allura asked, surprised. Love—not what she expected from their tryst. She didn't really know what she expected. "Quiznak," she said under her breath. This was getting complicated.

  
“Of course I am, although I don’t know why. You drive me crazy, which in turn makes me want to lock you in a cryopod or another 10,000 years just so I know you’re safe.”

  
Being the leader means making sacrifices even though it will hurt more than your most painful memory. It will bring you to your knees. It will be almost unbearable. And sometimes there is nothing that can be done to change course. We can only hope that our sacrifices are not for nothing—that they will make a difference. They will save lives.

“Keith, I am sorry. I would never put any of you in danger.”

  
“Not intentionally,” he argued. “But…”

  
Her pulse had calmed to a normal beat. She could reason with Keith. She could not however, tell him the truth. “You are right. I cannot know for sure that my plan would work perfectly. It was a calculated risk. I understand what that means.”

  
Keith rolled his eyes, “Do you? It means that we would have to come after you.”  

  
“No. I do not think you would. I think you would move forward with your mission to stop Lotor, not putting the life of one paladin above the lives of many. You yourself did not want to come for me when I was taken to Zarkon’s ship. That was the right decision. I cannot help but think that Shiro would still be here had we not had that encounter.”

  
The fight continued.

  
“What are you talking about?”

  
“When Shiro fought with Haggar, she poisoned him with her claws. That is how she gained control of him. She is the one that took him from Black. It was all because of that one moment.”

  
“So, only you can make this right?” Keith questioned.

  
“Am I wrong?”

  
Keith sighed, “You are being very Keith right now.”

  
Allura chuckled. She was being very Keith-like. “I guess I am.”

  
“We are a team. We will get Shiro back together. No more going rouge. I need you to focus. You are a paladin now. We need you.”

  
She nodded in agreement to placate Keith. It was foolish to try to do this alone, but that wasn’t going to stop her. Once Shiro was back, Keith would see that she made the right decision. After all, the right decision is never the easy decision. “Can we agree to table the rest of this until after we free a planet?”

  
“As long as you promise me you won’t do anything foolish?”

  
“I will not,” she replied.

  
“Get your lion ready. We are going to free a planet.”

  
Allura went off to Red. Keith entered the bridge. “Let’s do this.”

  
Lance, Hunk, and Pidge turned to Keith each with uncertainty on their faces.

  
“We’re good? Allura is good?” Hunk asked nervously.

  
“She’s good.”

  
Lance fist pumped into the air, “Bring on the parade!”

 

 

 

 


	10. The Fight

They continued with the plan of attacking with the lions first. Keith was still hesitant of Allura’s mindset. As soon as lions left the hanger, they were under fire. Coran was trying to give them cover as best he could. Thace managed to sneak through Lotor’s line of defense and slip through the atmosphere. The Blade's success was detrimental to seizing this planet from the Galra.

Pidge was cloaked. She had a special mission of planting detonators on the battle cruisers. The others were holding their own.

“What the fuck is that?” Screamed Lance.

Keith circled around to see what Lance was referring to. It was unlike any Galra ship he had seen before. It was agile, quick, and tactile. Dodging through the fight, it was chasing Hunk. Going after the slowest lion of the group. Very cunning. It had to be Lotor.

“Hold on Hunk. I’m coming.” Keith spoke over the comm.

Hunk was taking a lot of hits. “Hurry up,” Hunk exclaimed. “I don’t like being hunted.”

Keith flew in and rammed the ship with everything he had. It threw the ship off course, but did little damage. Following behind Keith, Red came firing her cannon. That seemed to get their attention.

“Foolish Paladins.” Lotor appeared on their screens. “Surrender, and I may take mercy on you.”

“Never!” Keith said through gritted teeth. The thought of this Galra having Allura was making him insane with rage. Black’s wings expanded, and Keith flew directly into the ship again.

The aftermath of Pidge’s handiwork resonated through the lions. All cruisers were hit and going down. There were still many fighters trying to take down the castle. The Blade just needed a little more time.

“Thace, Kolivan, we’re waiting.” Keith said impatiently as Black and Lotor’s ship floated silently facing each other.

“Patience, Paladin,” Kolivan replied.

The four lions formed a blockade in front of Lotor’s ship, preventing him from returning to the planet below.

Like a concentrated ray of light, the base’s artillery took out the remainder of the fighters.

“You’re welcome, Paladin.”

Keith smirked, “Took you long enough.”

Allura took this opportunity to take out some fighters as she descended to the planet below. Haggar was here. She could feel it.

“Allura, where are you going?” Pidge asked frantically.

No answer.

“Allura,” Lance interjected, hoping his voice would make her answer.

Silence.

Keith was going to break their line. “Dammit, Allura,” Keith growled.

Lotor’s voice returned, dripping with satisfaction. “Looks like I win.”

Back on the surface, Red landed near the base. The Blade was still rounding up Galra soldiers and centuries. She easily entered without anyone stopping her. She knew exactly where to go. Treading deeper into the belly of the base, she came upon the dark hallway with the thinnest shard of light emanating up ahead. Dread sat in the pit of her stomach as she drew closer to the light. This was it. All her visions were culminating into this moment. Drawing a deep, ragged breath, the door slid open. Haggard was waiting with a druid. They parted, opening a space between them where Shiro knelt. He looked up at her, surprised.

“A-Allura?”

She stood strong, only making brief eye contact with Shiro.

“I’m here. You will free Shiro now.”

“A deal is a deal.” Haggar stated matter-of-factly.

The druid pulled Shiro to his feet and shoved him towards Allura. She braced him from falling. “I got you.”

Shiro had his arm draped over her shoulder for support. His dark eyes searching her bright blue ones for a plan. He only saw satisfaction. He rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t do this to me. Not again.”

“The others are here. Go down the corridor until you reach the stairs. Kolivan is at the surface. The Paladins are here as well,” she whispered quietly.

“I’m not leaving you,” he said with anguish in his voice.

She replied firmly, “You have to.”

He leaned in and gently kissed her lips, lingering longer than he should have. Shiro knew he was far too weak to fight for Allura. “I’ll be back for you.”

She gave him a crooked smile as she watched him leave. She was fully prepared for the consequences. She may even have some tricks up her sleeve.

The door slid shut. Haggar turned to her Druid, "Bring him back to me." The Druid disappeared.

Allura screamed and lunged at Haggar, "You treacherous witch."

Shiro did not hesitate to run down the hallway. If he could get to the others fast enough, there may still be time to stop Haggar. Bracing his side, he reached the stairs and pushed his body to make it to the top. Breathing so irregularly was making his lungs burn. His vision blurring, making it difficult to see, but there was Kolivan.

The Druid appeared, driving Shiro back. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.

“Kol-van. Call,” he stopped, trying to control his breathing. “Keith. Call Keith, NOW!”

The Druid continued to attach Shiro. He would come along or die. Gathering his tattered shirt into its claw, it drew Shiro near. Then, without warning it collapsed, releasing Shiro to the floor.

Thace stood over the Druid, blade in hand.

"Thanks."

Thace nodded.

Kolivan brought up the view screen. Just then Shiro looked up to see a ship departing the base. “Keith,”

“Shiro! Are you-”

Shiro cut him off, “Stop that ship leaving the surface. It’s Haggar and she has Allura!”

“Fuck!”

“I’m already on it,” Lance replied as he engaged Blue to pursue the ship in question.

With Blue in hot pursuit and Lotor surrounded, the day seemed in favor of the Paladins. But things aren’t always what they seem. Just as Blue nearly closed the gap on Haggar’s ship, a wormhole appeared devouring the ship and leaving Lance behind. Simultaneously, a wormhole opened and Lotor escaped, his timely exit shocking the Paladins.

Keith slammed his fist on Black’s control panel.

Lance hung his head, angry and frustrated that he was so close to saving Allura a fate only he knew could mean her death.

Pidge and Hunk were speechless, hearts full of pain. A victory and a loss, is not a victory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The planet was free once again. This did not lift the spirits of the team at all. Even with Shiro’s return, there was an irreversible hole in their hearts.

Keith stormed onto the bridge, without so much as a glance at anyone. Not even Shiro. He was already trying to figure out Allura’s location. He took his place at Shiro’s station, frantically typing coordinates and possible routes. He was cross-referencing all the intel Pidge had gathered. Desperation wasn’t something Keith was used to.

Lance approached, knowing he would most likely get his head bitten off. “Keith,”

“No, Lance,” Keith spat at him. “I will not calm down. I’m going to find her.”

“I get that, but let’s work on it as a team.”

“You’re lucky I’m even sitting here. It’s taking everything in me to not take Black to search for her.”

“That wouldn’t be smart. And that’s exactly what we need to be if we want to get Allura back.”

Pidge hopped on her station, starting to pull some data for the main viewing screen. “Keith, I think I have a way to trace Lotor’s ship’s signature.”

Keith turned to face her, “How?”

“I noticed that there was something very familiar with his ship. It wasn’t like any Galra ship we’ve seen before. After I scanned it, I realized it’s signature was the same as Voltron’s.”

Lance looked confused. “What? How is that even possible?”

Pidge adjusted her glasses, “That’s what I was wondering. The only thing that makes sense is that Lotor has access to the same comet that was used to form Voltron.”

Coran chimed in, “That would mean that Alfor didn’t destroy it.” His face went white. “If Haggar is harnessing the power of the comet, it will be near impossible to stop her.”

“Then why does she need Allura?” Shiro asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Coran responded perplexed. Then he suddenly covered his mouth. “No. It can’t be.”

“What?!” Keith shouted.

“I think Haggar needs Allura’s powers to revive Zarkon. With Allura’s quintessence and the comet he will be mad with power.”

“More than he already was?” Hunk questioned, not liking where this was going.

“Far worse,” Coran responded gravely.

“All the more reason to stop Lotor and get Allura back,” Shiro finally spoke. He had been unusually quiet. Returning to the ship after such a long period of time was harder to adjust to than he thought, especially since Keith was at this station, flying his lion. He always knew Keith would make a great leader, he just didn’t realize how he would feel; torn.

The others looked at each other. No one wanting to fill Shiro in on what Haggar was up to. What it meant for Allura and how the window to save her was very narrow.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Shiro questioned, sensing they were holding back where he was concerned.

Lance started talking; babbling really, “Haggar wants Allura’s powers. That’s why she exchanged her freedom for yours. Allura’s powers have been…growing since you have been gone. She struggled to control them. It was scary as hell for all of us. If you could have seen her. Fuck, it was awful,” Lance swallowed hard knowing what he would say next would set Keith off. “Allura is willing to sacrifice herself before she lets Haggar take her powers. She is prepared to die.”

Keith shot up, totally losing control, “What are you talking about? You take that shit back.” He lunged at Lance, knocking him to the ground. Keith began throwing fists at Lance’s face. Lance wasn’t going to curl up and let this happen, he fought back. The struggle continued before Shiro inserted himself between them. “That’s enough! At ease.” Both men were breathing heavily. Wiping blood from his mouth, Keith left the bridge the same way he entered, without a word.

“Keith is finally losing his shit,” Hunk exclaimed.

Shiro helped Lance to his feet. “I’ll go talk to him. Pidge keep doing what you’re doing. We don’t have much time to find Allura.”

Shiro found Keith on the training deck. The sweat was already dripping from his forehead. “Keith, a word,” his voice authoritative.

“Shiro, I don’t need a lecture. I’ve been leading this team. This is how I lead. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to take over otherwise get out of my way.”

He put a hand on Keith’s shoulder. A comforting gesture that usually calmed Keith. Not anymore. Something else was going on, Shiro could sense it. “Talk to me.”

Keith pulled away from him, walking out of the training deck.

Standing there, Shiro felt even further away from the team. He was still struggling with demons. Trying to detach from what Haggar did to him was impossible, especially with the thought of Allura enduring anything like what he went through. Like being pulled against your will into the event horizon, memories flooded back to him pushing and pulling his link to reality. He grasped his head and knelt to the floor in pain, clenching his jaw to stifle a scream.

 _“You will never be good enough for Voltron. You weren’t good enough to be my champion, but I will make you something new; something much better.”_  

_Shiro pulled as his wrist restraints, the straps tightening even more around his flesh. He never let his eyes leave Haggar’s. She dragged a long fingernail along the side of his face before an infusion of quintessence entered his blood stream. The pain was unbearable, he screamed before passing out._

The drip, drip of his sweat gently glided along the side of his face. He was shaking on the floor. No one was there to witness this breakdown. He would save her. She meant a lot to him, more than the others knew. Their relationship had been morphing into something different. Something special.  Something he didn’t want to lose. She allowed his kiss before their goodbye. That couldn’t be their last. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keith peeled off his paladin armor and threw it to the floor. Emotions running wild. He threw his blade at the wall. “Argh!” Pacing back and forth quickly, did nothing to calm himself. He punched the wall. All this anger. With no good way to unleash it. Murdering Lotor would be the only thing to satisfy this untamed wave of rage. Keith flopped down on his bed, staring again at this ceiling. The same ceiling, he worried over Allura when she was in the cryopod. The same ceiling, he looked at when he knew he would never be able to rest when the woman he loved was in danger. This ceiling was starting to piss him off. “Fuck you, ceiling.”

Maybe if he could manage to calm himself, focus his energy on Allura. They had a telepathic link. Perhaps he could still reach her. He had to try. “Okay, Keith, you need to relax,” he said to himself. As he closed his eyes, his mind cleared, leaving room for his connection to Allura to open. Reaching through space and time, he felt her. It was like hesitating to reach for an electrical current you know you shouldn’t touch. It would cause pain to run through your entire body, but it would be thrilling. Drifting deeper into the reach. Almost there.  _“Allura,”_  

Great sadness. It was so powerful, it made tears well in his eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, he had to go past the grief.  _“Allura,”_  he called to her again. He had to be close. But pushing past the sadness, was worse. It was an agonizing pain searing into every part of your body almost to the point of unconsciousness. He had to pull her out from this.  _“Allura, I’m here,”_  it was a tone Keith didn’t even know he was capable of. A tone of complete and utter love. Love that Keith had never felt. Ever. 

 _“Keith?” She was straining to reach him. “I can’t quite…”_  

 _“Don’t you dare quit on me.” Falling into the rhythm of the rise and fall of her chest, he was almost there. “Allura, talk to me. Where are you?”_  

 _“Do not come for me. It is far too dangerous.”_  

 _Finally, he was completely connected. She was in a dark room. She was restrained. It was hard to get a sense of what else, but there was something…magical._  

 _“I can’t do that and you know it. I will never stop coming for you.”_  

 _“You are foolish. The most important thing is Voltron. Don’t deliver the most powerful weapon in the universe to Lotor.”_  

_“If Haggar takes your powers, she’ll use them to hurt others and you and I both know that is more powerful than Voltron. Allura, you are the most powerful weapon in the universe right now.”_

_Allura knew he was right. She had great power that she had no idea how to control._

_There’s more I’m afraid. Lotor has part of the comet that your father used to create the lions.”_  

 _“That explains how I was able to form two wormholes.”_  

 _“That was you?”_  

 _“Yes. What is your plan?”_  

_Keith sighed, “You’re not going to like it.”_

Before she could respond their link was severed by a jolt of pain that threw him to floor. The last thing Keith heard was her agonizing screams. “Allura!”

Whatever was happening to her was terrible, far worse than he thought. Haggar must be extracting Allura’s magic or quintessence, hell, maybe even her soul. They had to move fast.

Keith stormed out of his quarters and to the bridge. He practically flew in. “Pidge, start tracking the comet’s signature.”

Shiro looked to Keith for answers, “Keith, take a breath.”

He bent over, breathing heavily. He recomposed himself. “Allura doesn’t have much time.”

“We already know that.” Lance interjected.

“No. You don’t understand. I communicated with Allura telepathically. She’s not going to make it much longer.”

Lance was shocked, “How the hell did you do that?”

Keith didn’t have time to explain, nor did he have any intension of telling anyone about his intimacy with Allura. “It’s complicated, but I can reach her.”

Shiro was analyzing this new piece of information. He turned to Pidge, “How quickly can we start tracking their signature?”

“I’m on it. It won’t take long to determine where Lotor’s ship is.”

Shiro gazed at the main view screen as Pidge’s work started to materialize. Rubbing his chin, he was lost in thought. He was worried about Allura. He believed Keith when he told him he could communicate with Allura. It wasn’t lost on him that their bond had grown in his absence. That was clear. The scarier part was what he said. Allura didn’t have much time. He knew exactly what Haggar’s brand of torture felt like. When they make it to Allura, he feared she too would suffer long after this is all over. Even more likely, she wouldn’t be the same person.

“Shiro?” Pidge questioned.

“Huh. Yes, Pidge.”

“Looks like we are headed back to Zarkon’s main command ship.”

Shiro nodded, “It looks that way.” The main viewing screen followed Lotor’s trail to Zarkon’s Central Command Ship. It was intact and fully operational. Shiro’s hair stood up on his good arm. The last time he was there, he lost everything. He feared the same outcome. 


End file.
